Elvanor High School
by NightWriter94
Summary: Not everything is as it seems at Elvanor High School, a school for the extraordinarily gifted. Naruto will find himself paired with the most unlikely people to save the school from Sasuke and his evil gang. Unlikely romances bloom as the war of ages looms over them all.
1. Chapter 1

"Name?"

"Jinou Yukiko" I said blankly. The guard sighed and looked at the file he grabbed out of the cabinet drawer. He looked at me. I was wearing a black leather jacket and brown shirt with army-print cargo pants with brown boots. I was somewhat normal, with a height of 5"7' and weight of 180 pounds, and was 15 years and 5 months old. I had light brown skin and dark brown hair that was combed straight. The most interesting thing about my features was my eyes, which were red and blue- right eye red and left eye blue. 'He must be looking over my very interesting record. Being very quiet and a good learner doesn't mean I can't get in minor trouble. Small explosions in class rooms, fights with other students, and responsible for the fire in the math room. Anything is possible.' I held my yin-yang necklace bored and waited, watching the guard in the office of the West Hill High School. The guard nodded and finally handed me the file, and I left the school for good, never looking back at a normal person's life.

Hinata was drawing a picture of a red flower that bloomed outside our place, as I walked up to our home. The picture was of the pure inside of the flower. All its internal structure, a very beautiful drawing; Hinata was staring so intently at the flower as her hand flew across the page, the veins around her eyes bulging. "How's it going sis?" I asked. "It's good big brother. Did you get your record so you can go to Elvanor?" she asked without looking up. "Yeah I got it, I'm going to show it to mom and dad so they can send it in for me and we'll be at Elvanor together in no time." I smiled and so did she, still looking at the flower. "I love the drawing, its so life like." She blushed a bit. "Thanks Jinou." she shyly mumbled. "I think I'll be late sis. My application is very late to be sent in. I probably won't start Elvanor till late." I said with a sigh "I know Jinou, at least you'll be at school soon enough studying your powers and learning how to use them." She replied "True, very true. I can't wait to be there. Finally not having to live a normal life." I breathed out happily, letting a little fire escape through my mouth.

- 2 month later Jinou arrives at Elvanor.-

I walked past the school sign and up to the school's double gates. Inside was a vast quad and many buildings. Trees and benches stood everywhere. It was a very interesting school for special powered students. Many students were walking in groups and talking. "Hey Jinou. How have you been?" asked Neji, who was waiting for me at the gate. "Fine. Took a while for my application to go through but it happened. So here I am." I said with a smile. He nodded and showed me the boy's dorm, which was vast and across the quad from girl's dorm, since the school's buildings surrounded the quad. 'Why is everyone looking at me? Well I guess luggage at this time of the year is pretty weird for them.' The long hall ways of the dorm were decorated with pictures of paintings and portraits, students walking around and looking at me with my luggage, 'I'm in the 10th grade and came 2 months late to school, of course they will look at me.' Security guards stood every so often, watching the students. I arrived at room 47 on the 3rd floor and Neji left to go up to his room 'Thanks'. Inside were two boys lounging around and talking; the room was fairly large and gave each boy a bed of his own and plenty of room with a desk and dresser. "Hi." I said awkwardly. "Why hello new comer. I'm Rock lee but every one calls me Lee." Said a light skinned boy with bandaged arms and a green jacket with black pants. He held out his hand and I shook it. "I'm Jinou Yukiko." The other boy with a bored expression wearing a long brown coat and a gray shirt and brown pants said, holding out his hand, "Hi I'm Shikamaru, I guess will be living together for the next year huh. What a drag." I laughed a little and smiled and started to unpack, looking over my schedule.

Next morning after eating a breakfast in the huge mess hall I headed to my first class of the day, and still managed to get lost with a mini map and my few text books. 'Great I'm lost on my first day.' I passed a sakura tree with the blossoms gently falling to the ground. 'Hm, pretty.' I mused, still trying to find my first class. I finally got to Art, which was taught by Mrs. Kurenai. The class was working hard on their paintings and Mrs. Kurenai called attention and introduced me to the class. "Class this is Jinou Yukiko. He is a late transfer to the school." Many whispers followed this statement. There were many students but it was a girl about my age that caught my attention. She had white skin, her black hair with a red streak down, and was wearing a black tank top with black shorts and boots. 'She looks really pretty.' I thought. Mrs. Kurenai told me to take the seat to the left of the pretty girl. I looked down and put my text books and backpack to the side. I said a small "Hello", but wasn't heard by the girl. I sat down and noticed that the girl next to me was staring intently at the canvas. Shrugging I started to work on my painting.

After 50 minutes I finished, the end result being a figure in a blizzard screaming while on fire. I looked over at the pretty girl's picture and it was small sprite captured in a jar bleeding to death in its cage, surrounded by dark hues. "Nice picture" I said quietly, looking at the pretty girl. She jumped and half smiled. "Thanks." The bell rang and I quickly packed up and headed out to Advanced Combat 2. After I turned the corner and put my textbooks back in my bag I slammed into a huge figure and fell to the floor. Stunned, I looked up at a hideous face and thought, 'FUCK!'


	2. Chapter 2

The incessant ringing of my alarm clock pulled me from the depths of sleep with a groan. I blindly reached out and roughly turned of the offensive object before sitting up in bed. Rubbing my eyes I trudged over to my brother's room to wake him up. I gently shook his shoulder and called him softly. "Tobi, Tobi it's time to get up. C'mon we have to go to school." Tobi slowly woke up, and then smiled at me. "Good morning, Miyako-chan! Tobi is happy to see Miyako-chan." I smiled at him, noticing his mask had fallen off during the night to reveal his horribly scarred eye I had grown accustomed to seeing. "I'm happy to see you too, Tobi. Now get up and get ready, okay? We don't want to be late." Tobi looked at me, horrified at the idea. "No, no! Tobi is a good boy! Tobi won't be late. Tobi is a good boy." I left him to get ready.

Twenty minutes later I did a final check in the mirror. 'Hair, brushed. Teeth clean. Clothes are presentable, and boots are laced up right. Got my necklace on- yup, I'm ready to go.' I thought before grabbing up my back pack from the floor. Tobi was waiting at the door for me, muttering to himself quietly. We began our fifteen minute trek to the prison we called "school", occasionally speaking to each other and occasionally lapsing into silence. Finally we reached our destination, passing by the sign that proudly stated, "Elvanor: home of the extraordinarily gifted." I sighed, thinking about how I was probably the weakest of these "extraordinarily gifted" people in my gang of friends. Tobi and I reached our usual hang out spot underneath a beautiful sakura blossom tree and waited for the gang to show up.

The first to show up was Sasori and Deidara, my fellow artists who could never agree on what art was. Deidara believed that art was short lived and was made to be destroyed, whereas Sasori considered art to be long lasting. Countless times they had tried to get me to side with them, but I simply laughed and remained neutral. I personally believed that art had various shapes, mediums and forms, but that didn't satisfy them. As usual, they walked up debating about art. They only stopped when they saw me sitting there with Tobi. "Good morning Miyako-chan!" Deidara greeted, hugging me with one arm. Sasori was much more reserved in his greeting, but I didn't take offense to it. He was usually stoic and unaffectionate. Next to arrive was Itachi and Kisame, the quietest of the gang. They rarely interacted much with anyone but each other, being similar in temperament, but they'd always give a small smile and a nod in greeting towards me and my brother. Loud profanities announced the arrival of Hidan, probably our most insane member. He worships a god called "Jashin" and has made numerous attempts to sacrifice me to this... god. Finally, our leader and his girlfriend arrived, scolding Hidan for his vulgar vocabulary. Konan was beautiful, motherly in a bizarre sense, and very fashionable. Her and Deidara made good shopping partners, which worked since they were both my best friends. It makes shopping so much easier when I need clothes. Our leader, Pein, rarely shows up since he's incredibly intelligent. These people, combined with my brother and I, formed the notorious gang we fondly call the Akatsuki.

We were all sitting around, gossiping and talking about fairly unimportant things when Itachi quietly said, "We're supposed to get a new student today." We looked at him surprised. "A new student in October? That's unusual. School started in August- what could bring them so late?" Konan questioned. The tall man shrugged, and Hidan excitedly answered. "Who gives a damn? I could use that bastard to sacrifice to Jashin!" I glared at him. "No way. Don't you remember what happened the _last_ time you tried using a student as a sacrifice? You almost got expelled, and the kid was in therapy for the rest of the year!" Pein nodded in agreement, displeasure on his face. "I do not feel like bailing you out again for your idiocy Hidan. I prohibit you from trying that foolish act again." Hidan cussed both of us out. "If that asshole runs into me I swear I'm going to fuckin' beat him up and sacrifice him!" Everyone groaned and shook their heads as the bell rang for classes to begin. We all part ways except for Sasori, Deidara and I, who headed to the art room for our first class.

The three of us took our usual seats, Sasori to the right of me and Deidara directly behind me. Deidara _used_ to sit to the left of me, but Kurenai-sensei got so mad at him for constantly arguing with Sasori (loudly, since I was between them) that she moved him behind me, leaving a vacant seat. Kurenai-sensei stood in front of the class, writing the directions on the board. "Alright everyone today is a free paint day- the sky's the limit, as long as you're painting." With that I instantly got my canvas and paint out from my back pack and began painting. Not long into class the door opened, causing us all to glance up. A young male had entered the room, looking rather shy. His dark skin and black hair was a bit unusual, seeing as most of us in class had light brown or white skin. Kurenai started to introduce him but by that point I lost interest, simply thinking, 'Hm, he's kinda cute.'

I saw him sit down in the only vacant seat in the class room- next to me- but didn't care. I kept painting, dark hues blending together to create the even darker scene of a small sprite captured in a jar bleeding to death in its cage. I became engrossed in my work, relentlessly pouring out detail after detail into the piece to the point of near obliviousness. I stopped only to stretch my neck and look at the time, before continuing. I could subconsciously hear Deidara and Sasori bickering again, but I paid no attention to the words they said. After a grueling 50 minutes of work I sat back, satisfied with the end result. I was looking over it one more time to make sure I didn't miss anything when I heard a quiet, "Nice picture." I jumped, startled at the unfamiliar voice. I turned to see the new student looking seriously at me. I gave a half smile and a polite, "Thanks" before the bell rang for our next class to begin. I packed up my things quickly and got up to leave, noting that the student was already gone. 'Wow, he moves fast.' I mused. I headed out the door with my two friends and entered the quad, only to hear an extremely familiar voice shouting out threats and profanities. Deidara gave a small, "Uh- oh!" and Sasori sighed. I zoned in on Hidan looming over the new student who seemed quite alarmed at the circumstances, his stuff on the floor. I growled, "Shit." before rushing to the new kid's rescue.

I reached Hidan just before he punched the stunned student and slipped between him, my angry 5'4 frame defying his 5'8. In the blink of an eye I had socked him in the stomach and kneed him in the crotch, forcing him to lose his ability to fight briefly. "WHAT THE HELL BITCH?!" Hidan screamed at me, furious but in too much pain to do much else. My emerald eyes flashed angrily as I slapped him upside the head. "YOU MORON! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" He snarled at me. "The bastard ran into me! HE DESERVES TO BE SACRIFICED!" I growled fiercely, not intimidated. "If you don't calm the hell down and get to your next class RIGHT NOW I will BEAT YOU UP HIDAN! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Hidan started to rise against me but once he saw my frame tensed and ready to fight he gave in. "Fine, bitch!" He glared daggers at the kid on the floor. "You better be happy she was here to save your ass, maggot!" With that Hidan stormed off. I whirled around to the kid, who managed to come back to his senses and start thanking me. I narrowed my eyes at him. "You are lucky I hate sacrifices. Be careful and watch where you're going next time!" With that I stormed off to my next class, advanced combat 2.

'What on EARTH is WRONG with that kid, freezing that way?! That moron will get himself killed and he hasn't even been here a day!' I fumed as I entered the locker room. 'If I hadn't been there to stop Hidan he'd be toast by now; Deidara and Sasori wouldn't have cared on damn bit. In fact,' I scowled, undressing from my normal clothes, 'What made ME care? Sure he's new and all, and kinda cute, but that doesn't matter! He should've watched where the hell he was going!' I tugged on my black biker shorts and black sports tank top, not caring how it accentuated the little curves I had. I carefully unhooked my necklace and stowed it away in my locker, slamming the door shut. 'He better not have class with me again right now, or I'm gonna lose it and kick his ass for his stupidity.' Somewhat calmer after this mental ranting I made my way to class.

I headed towards Kakashi's group and shook my head at the sight of him reading the nasty book he always had with him. 'He really needs to get a life. Or get laid. Whichever. Somehow, I suspect that wouldn't be enough though...' As I went to meet up with some of the girls I had somewhat befriended in class I noticed the guys attempting to discretely stare at me as I passed by. A sharp glare caused them to blush furiously and look away. 'Sigh, I knew this outfit would cause... Problems. But I do NOT want the extra baggage of baggy clothes. Oh well... There are pros and cons to everything.' The bell rang, and as I started paying attention to Kakashi I noticed that _he_ was in my class. 'Oh. Hell. No. He is NOT really here right now.' Of course, he was.

I glared daggers at him, which seemed to cause him discomfort. Inwardly I smirked at this reaction. 'That's right. Be uncomfortable. I am NOT happy with you right now, new kid. Not. Happy. At all.' Kakashi started to address the class. "Today will be sparring. I will pick your partner to spar with. I don't care if you're not comfortable with fighting your friend or a girl. This is how you learn- hands on experience!" I secretly celebrated this good fortune. 'Good! A way to vent out my anger! I love dueling!' He pointed at the new kid, then started scanning the girls for an opponent. "Don't pick me, don't pick me...' As if fate was against me, "You, Miyako Mizuki, arena 3 go now." 'WHAT?!


	3. Chapter 3

'Why did she save me? What did I do to make her yell at me? More importantly why the fuck did I freeze?!' I thought furiously. I stood up quickly from the floor and grabbed my stuff running to class hoping I wouldn't be late for a second time. 'Why did I freeze? I knew I was in trouble but I couldn't have defended myself?! I know what to do, hell I knew what I should have done but she, she saved my ass.' I walked into the locker room to change out into my gray sweats and black t-shirt. I was very careful with changing my pants; I had a thick blade strapped to my calf with easy access for when I'm in trouble. 'Why didn't I use my knife?!' The combat teacher was Kakashi sensei. He stood waiting on a couple of ringed courts as I walked out of the boy's locker room with the rest of his class. The girls came from another door on the same side. We gathered around Kakashi, who was reading a naughty book and kept laughing every so often.

"Morning class." He said after the last person came into the group. "Good morning, Kakashi sensei." the class said in unison. "Today will be sparing. I will pick your partner to spar with. I don't care if you're not comfortable with fighting your friend or a girl. This is how you learn- hands on experience! Now" he looked around and found me. "You. New kid." he pointed me out. "You'll be in arena 3 with…" He looked to my left were most of the girls are. "You, Miyako Mizuki, arena 3 go now." He gestured and I walked to the semi-large arena with a big blue 3 on it and looked at who I was fighting. It was the pretty girl that saved me. 'Do I have every class with her?!' She looked at me with annoyed and very hostile expression and swiftly walked into the arena. It was surrounded by a 5 foot wall with only one gate. A screen hovered over it and on its right side was a blue machine with a long pod thing and key board on either side. When I closed the gate of the arena a sheet of light came up from the wall and the screen came to life with our faces and name next to them. The other students were paired off to about 20 different arenas. I gripped my necklace as I watched, and I noticed the color of our names was matching our pants color- mine gray and hers black. She still looked pretty with her black biker shorts, sports tank top, hair in a ponytail and an annoyed and disgruntled look on her face. 'WHAT DID I DO?!'

"Umm hey. I guess I should tha-" "Shut up and get ready. Kakashi is going to tell us what's going on." She barked looking more annoyed, crossing her arms. Kakashi's voice came from the screen, as well as in the other arenas.

"Okay, so this will be a three round match. Each round will increase what power of weaponry you can use. First round is strictly fighting. Taijutsu and physical abilities, NO charkra, magic, or weaponry. Now prepare yourselves for the first round." Once he finished a sheet of light came in between each sparring partner and the screen flashed a 40 second count down. Miyako was still crossing her arms and looking around. I calmed myself and released the tension. The announcer on the screen spoke at the 20.

"This will be a three round match between Jinou Yukiko, gray and Miyako Mizuki, black. First round is pure fighting. Second round fighting and one weapon, third round is a full on fight, no limitations." The countdown showed 5, then 4, the 3, 2, 1. The screen of light disappeared between us and Kakashi's voice came through. "Fight!"

Miyako ran to me and I ran to her, ready to fight. She threw a punch but I leaned back and so that it passed mere inches away from me and I dropped down for a swing kick, but she jumped backwards and came back with a full on thrusting kick, which I blocked with my left arm, ramming it aside. 'Damn she's strong but is very direct. I might have a good chance at this'. I used the momentum to jab her in the stomach and she flew back, landing hard. She looked furious and got up quickly, standing ready in a fighting position. I stood a foot away in my fighting position and we stared at each other. 'What is she thinking? I know I have her beat at this. She doesn't seem to be a great fighter; I gave her two open shots. When I leaned back I wasn't prepared for an underhand blow, after I punched her it was soft enough to where she could have pulled me over. Hmmm.'

I punched, she ducked and jabbed upward. I kneed up and kicked her in the chest. She fell back and I pinned her with my twice size form, my arm on her neck and my full weight on her. We looked into each other's eyes and I saw something, but all of a sudden a force pulled me off her and threw me back and I landed on my side of the arena again. The light wall came back up again and the announcer spoke from the screen.

"WINNER JINOU! Now the start of the second round, please type in your weapon of choice then it will appear in the pod. Please stand ready; if in need of medical care please press the blue button and you will be healed." Neither one of us called for a healer. She smiled an evil smile and started typing. I had no idea what weapon I wanted to use; I thought quickly of all the weaponry I knew how to use, then I thought of the one weapon that I knew how to use. I typed in "Soul Biter" and it appeared in the pod. A thick large gun, single barrel and 40 rounds in one go, red lined with black, Soul Biter was made from my own hands and had a very special feature only I only knew how to activate. I looked to Miyako and she was holding dual swords. She still had that evil smile; I smiled back with confidence and strapped the holster on my waist and walked to the center of my side. 'Now things are really heating up in here. This must be her primary weapon, like Soul Biter is mine.' A countdown started from 10, at 5 I drew Soul biter and held it in both hands, ready. The 15 pound gun felt right in my hands.

"FIGHT!" said the announcer and I fired my first shot. She deflected it and ran at me. 'Why can't I get over the fact that she looks pretty?!' I fired again and she blocked the shot again. I fired twice more but she still blocked it, then she swung her swords in my direction. I blocked them both with the barrel of Soul Biter and pushed forward with all my weight. She sidestepped and spun her sword, then jabbed me with the hilt of her right sword in my back. I gasped in pain and rolled forward. I took a shot from the ground, but she blocked it again with her right-hand sword and slashed the air, a slash of fire cut through the air and headed to me, I smiled and back handed it with my left, the fire curled up into a ball and disappeared, she looked shocked but quickly recovered and slashed, with her right then left and kicked. I blocked both with the barrel of Soul Biter with ease and took in the kick I slammed into the wall of light. 'Fuck bad move! Why was I being a fucking gentleman?' She ran at me with her swords poised to impale me but I brought up Soul Biter and clicked the hammer into ready position and the barrel flicked upward to 180 degrees. The inside of the barrel flipped out to reveal an inner blade, and then the last of the blade slid out. Soul biter stiffened itself and the machinery built itself around it to make a complete sword from a gun. The shocking effect on Miyako was enough to bash her swords up and I powered kicked her, causing her to fly. I clicked my 3 foot blade back into my 15 pound gun and took 5 shots, only two were not blocked by her sword, the 3rd shot skimmed her side, enough to sting. She spun in midair and tried to adjust with her right sword, but as she was moving her sword the 5th shot hit the hilt, and the sword flew out of her hand as she kept flying. She stabbed the ground with her left sword. Holding it upside down she stopped and pulled it out of the ground. I walked to where her fallen sword lay and grabbed it. She looked outraged and ran at me, the left sword pointing down. 'She is really good; I might have to work for this win.' I threw up Soul Biter, jumped and used the momentum to hurl the right sword at Miyako. It spun with dead accuracy. I caught Soul Biter and shot two more rounds following her sword and clicked for Soul Biter to turn into its sword form.

She blocked the sword just in time and slashed the other bullet and caught the other with the side of her blade. "You're actually a challenge Jinou." Miyako said as she picked up her right-hand sword. "Haven't fought a late comer that actually knew what he was doing." She had a smile that was much kinder but she never lost the tension in her body. "I didn't spend the time I was out lounging around. I learned what I could." I hefted Soul Biter onto my shoulder and put my other hand in my pocket and slowly walked to her, she walked to me slowly holding tightly her dual blades. "I made Soul Biter myself; the only one of its kind in the whole world." I gestured my head to the sword resting on my shoulder.

"Nice craftsmanship, I wouldn't have suspected it was handmade." We were a foot apart from each other, looking each other in the eyes. 'I still see something in her eyes, something I've never seen but also..' As if on cue we attacked at the same time, I swung down and she caught it on both her swords, ducked and double slashed at me, I crouched and used Soul Biter as a shield and spun myself around full circle. I gave a mighty slash, which she leaned to the side and bashed it over with her dual blades. I then swung Soul Biter around my head and, with both hands this time, came crashing down; but she caught it with her dual blades in an "X". She was smiling. 'HOW?! How did she catch it? And hold it as I keep putting force?' The tension lessened for only a second before she sliced upward with the two blades and swung at my hands, hitting her target.

Soul Biter fell as I lost my grip with my wrists cut, the wind kicked out of me as her foot connected with my chest and I slammed on the floor, a flash of silver and the twin blades came down to my throat but hit on either side, making another "X" that could have cut off my head. A bell rang and she was lifted with a magic force and landed on her side gently, same with me. I stood a little dazed and Soul Biter was in his holster- it turns back into a gun once it's knocked out of my hand. I looked at her. She wore a smug smile and pressed the blue button. A young woman came out of the ground with a nurse hat and tended to her, talking to her quietly. I did the same and a young man came out and looked me over. "Miyako got to you huh?" he asked, I nodded and leaned on the wall.

"WINNER MIYAKO! The 3rd and final round will start in one minute. There are no limitations to what you may do." The screen went back to the countdown 40. "Be careful with her. She's with the Akatsuki gang. She knows how to fight." He finished with my bandages and checked if anything was broken.

"No worries I have an ace up my sleeve." I reassured him, he smiled and walked back to the hole he came from and vanished. I sat up quickly and looked over Soul Biter. I grinned; the ace up my sleeve was ready to come out this final round. I looked up and saw Miyako ready and waiting, her blades at the ready.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, FIGHT!" yelled the announcer. Then the screen of light went down and instantly fire appeared on her blades and she slashed a fire-X in my direction. I quickly punched the X and the fire surrounded me and shrunk around me fist.

"Nice try." I threw the ball of fire at her and then ran around, firing ice shots. Every shot she caught dimmed her flaming blades. I jumped at her from behind, clicked Soul Biter to its sword form and slashed from side to side. She blocked my jump, front-flipped away from me and did a whirlwind slash with the flaming swords. Blocking most of the slashes and rolling on the ground I evaded the attack. When she spun her left-hand blade froze and shot ice bullets at me. I laughed and blasted a heat wave at the ice bullets, which melted instantly. Miyako cut the heat wave with the fire blade and came at me with full on fury, slicing, slashing, and cutting at me. We went back and forth blocking, bashing, and stabbing through each other's defenses, never quite getting a direct shot at the other. Stabbing forcefully at Miyako, cutting through her defenses enough to off- balance her but she cross slashed at Soul Biter's hilt. Forcing me to be open, she stabbed and sliced my side, once the cut was made I screamed and let a bust of fire surround and expand around me. Miyako slashed and cut at the expanding burst of red hot flames. Jumping away from the blast, she spun her ice blade and full circle swing cutting at the blast and shield appeared and surrounded her, protecting her form the scorching flames. 'She is really good.' I thought as I clicked Soul Biter but into gun form and put him back into his holster and focused on the writhing flames, engulfing Miyako's ice ball, using my right arm as a rod controlling the fire when suddenly a blast of ice ripped through the fire and headed straight for me, smiling I caused a wall of ice to form in front of it.

"Nice try Miyako but.." I summoned fire into a raging ball and blasting it through the ice wall and through the bolt into the dome. Exploding it from the inside out and steam to appear and spread. A yell from above, Miyako sending a rain of ice bullets towards me, I put up both my arms and from my pals came a fire sheet protecting me. Miyako hurtled down at me pulling out her dual blades and ready to cleave me in two. Pulling out Soul Biter and clicking it to sword form took in the dual blades. Suddenly the buzzer rang and our weapons vanished as the force pulled us apart.

"Time is up! It's a TIE!"


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4- Miyako's POV

It had been a few weeks since Jinou and my battles in Advanced Combat 2, and we hadn't really interacted much since. He was paired with numerous people to mix up fighting styles- Kakashi SAID it was good for us. 'Which it is but... his eyes... Something about that kid's eyes... His whole persona is unique and intriguing, yet I can't figure out why. It's driving me crazy!' I thought as I worked on the cross-stitch assignment Kurenai-sensei gave us. I sighed, slightly frustrated that the one person I disliked the most had to be the cute guy sitting next to me. 'Wait, CUTE?! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!?' I groaned quietly, catching Jinou's attention; he glanced at me with a curious expression on his face. I glared at him, effectively making him look back at his work. I tried my hardest to concentrate on the work in front of me, ignoring the peculiar desire to sneak a peek at his profile.

I was overjoyed when the bell rang, freeing me from having to sit by him. 'Why is it that most of the attractive, intriguing guys are the ones I _don't_ want to be attracted to. I don't even LIKE this kid, let alone want to be entranced by his peculiar qualities.' I huffed slightly as I dressed out for Combat, and eventually made my way to class. 'I don't feel like taking my necklace off... It should be fine. I think Kakashi mentioned something about archery today.' I met up with Ten-ten, Sakura and some other girl I didn't recognize and socialized with them until the bell rang for class to begin. I made a point not to look at the boy that currently haunted my mind with unanswered questions and paid attention to Kakashi.

'Good morning class! As I mentioned earlier this week we're going to take a period of time to hone our skills in archery. Now I know a lot of you dislike it," he said, smiling at the numerous groans. "But it is part of the criteria and is a good challenge to get a taste of. So go to the stations facing the trees with the bull's eye targets on them and wait for the demonstration." The students trudged behind me as I quickly took a station of my choice; to my dismay Jinou picked the station next to me. 'Is he _trying_ to haunt me or something?! Jeez... I can't seem to get away from him today.' Kakashi stood in front of the stations, prepared to give the demonstration. After his spiel he asked the class, "Now then, does anyone feel comfortable demonstrating the form and holding it for the other students to see?" I raised my hand- shooting a bow was as easy for me as sword fighting. He nodded at me and I jumped over the barrier, then picked up a bow and pretended I was going to shoot Kakashi. This earned some laughs, but allowed everyone to see. "Got it? Good. Thank you, Miyako. As soon as I get out of the target area you may begin."

I got back to my station and easily shot the target, nearly dead-center each time. I peered over at Jinou, who was struggling to shoot the target and had the most _horrible_ form I had ever seen. I couldn't help it, I _had_ to fix it. "Here, let me help you." I said, exasperated. He looked at me in surprise, but didn't protest. "Pretend your going to shoot, and hold it while I fix your form. Kay?" He nodded and did what I asked; I proceeded to adjust his torso and posture, as well as how he was holding the bow and arrow. Finished with that, I said, "There! Now which eye have you been using to aim?" He raised an eyebrow and quietly answered, "My left eye. Why?" I sighed. "No wonder you keep missing. You have to use your _right_ eye! Just remember, 'If you want them dead, aim with red.' Keep your body as narrow of a target as possible. Try hitting the target _now._" He focused, using his right eye to aim this time, and hit the target almost dead-center. "I got it! Thanks, Miyako!" I rolled my eyes and turned away, grumbling, "Yeah, yeah you're welcome. Keep practicing that and you'll get better."

I was about to walk completely away, since class had just been dismissed by Kakashi to dress back out, when I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I spun around to face Jinou, shocked. He looked unsure about his actions, but as his queer eyes stared into mine I found that I couldn't move or retaliate. "I meant it. Thank you. For teaching me and... Well... helping me out a few weeks ago." His soft voice held a genuine tone that I rarely heard from most guys, causing me to give him a half-smile. "It's nothing. Really." He gave a half-smile of his own, but didn't let go of me right away. 'It's like he's trying to figure something out... It feels as if he were staring into my soul. Why can't I move?! And why's his necklace shimmering? What's going on?' I felt heat flood my pale cheeks, which seemed to snap him out of whatever thought he was caught in and let go, stuttering out an apology before high tailing it to the boys' locker room. I stood there for a few moments, heart pounding and dazed. 'What. The. Hell. Just happened?' I shook my head and went to dress back into my street clothes, wondering what just took place.

- Jinou's POV

Weeks later after me and Miyako's fight I slowly started to learn how the school worked. Thankfully enough the personal training I did during the 2 months kept me from not being so far behind. I learned many things and improved greatly with my skills; Shikamaru and Lee were my closest and really only friends. Others were just people I would talk to in class. The day was cool and Halloween was soon. 'Something to look forward to.' As I walked across the quad with Lee, his class being a couple of doors down, I noticed the cherry blossoms falling and how they littered the ground and, more importantly, the gang that sat talking underneath it.

"Lee? Who are those people under the sakura tree?" I pointed them out to him.

"Ahhh well they're a "gang" of students that are very powerful. They specialize in different things- and no, I don't know what skills they have my friend." (Answering my next question) "but they're about our grade; I believe some are older. They call themselves the Akatsuki. Weird huh?" he said in an ominous tone. "Yeah weird, that girl with the black hair and the red streak, she was the one I fought on my first day." I mentioned, looking at her talk to her friends. "Really?! You didn't tell me that. What happened friend? I heard she is a very powerful student for a 10th grader." He said shocked and surprised, "Well it officially ended it a tie- I had one win and so did she and the last round we tied" I said blankly, catching a cherry blossom that floated to me. "Wooooooow! We must spar soon my friend. You will be a most interesting opponent." We reached my class and we parted.

Art was very awkward. We had to cross stich and Miyako was tense- I could sense it. I glanced over at her numerous times. 'Damn she is so pretty, and I really can't get over that fact and… powerful too which means I could be seriously hurt if I'm not careful. But I did get stronger and I know how to do more attacks. Hmm...' She caught me looking and I quickly looked back to my work. The rest of the period moved on with me glancing at her every so often. The bell rang and I packed up, dreading next period.

As I walked out the locker room I was holding my necklace; strangely it felt a little cold but I didn't pay attention to it- I was looking over to the group of girls that Miyako was walking to. Once the bell rang the class walked to Kakashi, who for once wasn't reading. "He must have gotten laid last night." I whispered to Kiba and the guys next to me. They started to laugh hysterically and listen to Kakashi's instructions.

"Good morning class! As I mentioned earlier this week we're going to take a period of time to hone our skills in archery. Now I know a lot of you dislike it," he said, smiling at the numerous groans. I was one of them. "But it is part of the criteria and is a good challenge to get a taste of. So go to the stations facing the trees with the bull's eye targets on them and wait for the demonstration." I walked over the stations and quickly took one which ironically was by Miyako. 'She must think I'm a stalker or something. Man!' Kakashi walked up in front of the class and showed the proper way to use a bow and arrow. I watched intently since I never used a bow and arrow before, and was hoping I could learn in a matter of seconds.

"Now then, does anyone feel comfortable demonstrating the form and holding it for the other students to see?" Miyako raised her hand then jumped over the barrier and performed the technique, aiming at Kakashi. Everyone laughed and I watched closely. 'She really knows what she is doing. This must be one of her special skills.' My eyes kept wandering but I would smack myself mentally and look at the form. "Got it? Good. Thank you, Miyako. As soon as I get out of the target area you may begin. "She came back and we started. My first few attempts I dropped the arrow, and once I finally got it to stay I shot a couple of arrows but they would keep missing. Miyako got a bull's eye every time. I started to fumble and get bad form; I was about to quit when I heard...

"Here, let me help you." Miyako said exasperated. I looked over at her surprised but didn't say anything. "Pretend you're going to shoot, and hold it while I fix your form. Kay?" I nodded and did what I was told; she then proceeded to fix my torso and posture, as well as how I was holding the bow and arrow. 'She must be so annoyed with how badly I'm shooting an arrow. Granted it's my first time but most at least hit the target.' After she was done she said, "There! Now which eye have you been using to aim?" I looked at her a little confused and quietly answered, "My left eye. Why?" she sighed. "No wonder you keep missing. You have to use your right eye! Just remember, 'If you want them dead, aim with red.' Keep your body as narrow of a target as possible. Try hitting the target now." I focused and let the arrow fly- this time it hit the target. "I got it! Thanks, Miyako!" She rolled my eyes at me and turned away, grumbling, "Yeah, yeah you're welcome. Keep practicing that and you'll get better." I was a little put off by her mood. 'Did I do something wrong again? I'm still trying to figure out what I did wrong the first time. I need to thank her directly and meaningfully- I don't think she really gets how thankful I am to have met her.' Kakashi dismissed the class and I grabbed her shoulder quickly. 'Fuck! Now she is going to think I'm a total creeper' she turned and looked at me full on, surprised.

"I meant it. Thank you. For teaching me and... Well... helping me out a few weeks ago." I said in a soft and uncertain voice, meaning every word. She gave me a half-smile. "It's nothing. Really." I gave a half-smile back and looked into her eyes. 'It's still there- that light, that… that. WAIT? Is her necklace glowing?!' I was noticing that my necklace was unnaturally cold, but then she started to blush, quickly I let go, stuttering an apology before walking away.

After I dressed out and went into 3rd, Adv. Magic control, still pondering on what I saw as the class started to file in. I sat down with Hinata and worked on the theories of controlling different forms of magic. 'There has to be something about her that's making my necklace feel strange- maybe some sort of spell or something. Just something that's making it so cold.' Hinata noticed how distant I was. "Big brother whats wrong?" she asked a little shy. "Hmm? Oh nothing just thinking about how much I suck at archery." I laughed, "Have you thought of a costume for Halloween yet? Its right around the corner." "Oh yes I did, well really something for both of use can do. Mom is sending them over to us, I already asked her." she blushed. Smiling I asked "What do you want to do?" "Well I wanted to dress like an elf, and you could be like the lord elf, or the older one." She stuttered out. "I like it Hinata. Let's do it." I said happily.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

I woke up to Tobi bouncing on my bed, yelling something incoherent until I finally was awake enough to understand it. "NEE-CHAN! IT'S HALLOWEEN TODAY! TOBI IS EXCITED! WAKE UP! TOBI NEEDS YOUR HELP PICKING OUT A COSTUME!" I groaned at his yelling, but managed a smile before responding. "Alright Tobi, I'm up! But you've got to stop bouncing and go get ready for school first, okay?" He grinned ear to ear and stopped bouncing. "Tobi is a good boy! Tobi is already prepared for school!" I wasn't surprised- Halloween was _always_ his favorite holiday, next to Christmas. "Good boy, Tobi. Let me get up and dressed okay? I'll help with your costume as soon as I'm done getting some decent clothes on." He bounced out of my room, rambling about how excited he was, and how much candy he hoped to get. I sighed and gave a sad smile. Ever since mom and dad died when we were young, Tobi never grew up- he mentally stayed the little kid he was then. I didn't mind- he was only a year older- but I knew people made fun of him for it. 'I've gotten into a _lot_ of fights over their inability to accept him.' With that thought I rolled out of bed and landed on the floor with a thud. "Owwwww! That hurt." I moaned, causing Tobi to look in worried. "Is nee-chan alright?" I chuckled. "Yeah, Tobi, I'm fine. I just didn't get my feet down in time."

After he left I got up from the floor and stretched, then proceeded to get the necessaties on- deodorant, a baggy shirt, and my moon necklace. Still in my pj bottoms I trudged over to Tobi's room to help him pick out a costume to wear. He finally settled on dressing up as a samurai, so I helped him wrap a belt around his costume to hold a fake katana and some plastic throwing stars in a pouch. He thanked me excitedly before running downstairs to wait patiently for me to come down. I went back to my room and pulled on a pair of slightly baggy-legged black pants, put a skirt over it that looked like it was made of two large purple leaves and a black slip, and put on some black slip on shoes. I took off the baggy shirt and replaced it with a black halter top, and tied the two satin ribbons behind my back. I wrapped one arm in a purple silk ribbon and put two silver hoop bracelets on the upper part of the other arm. I went to the bathroom and straightened my slightly wavy hair, then put on some black eyeliner and eye shadow (the only make up I'd ever willingly wear for a non-formal event.) I drew some vine-like designs coming from my eyeliner that spread from eyebrow to just under my eyes. Finally I cast a basic enchantment on my ears and back, making my ears pointed and a pair of black wings with purple streaks appear on my back. I added a few small, fake hoop earrings to my ears and I was done. Mentally applauding myself for both my work and painting my nails purple the night before, Tobi and I left for school.

As we entered the campus I noticed Deidara and Sasori were already there; we left later than usual. I blushed furiously as Deidara whistled and loudly said, "Daaaaamn, girl, yeah! Look at you, yeah! Chooow! Yeah." Sasori smirked, but elbowed his loud companion in the stomach. "Shut up, you're too loud." Deidara pouted. "But Sasori, it's true, yeah!" He glared at the blonde. "Just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it!" I managed to tame my blushing in time for the rest of the gang to show up. Most of us were dressed up, but Pein refused to, saying that it was childish and unbecoming. We just laughed and teased him until school began. Sasori, Deidara and I went to art, laughing the entire way until we sat down and class begun. I noticed Jinou walk in a mere 5 seconds before the bell, and blushed just slightly. 'Awwwwww! He's an elf! He looks so adorable! I wonder if someone had to convince him to dress like that- it doesn't seem like him.. WAIT! WHAT AM I THINKING! BAD MIYAKO! BAD!' To my advantage, Kurenai-sensei began talking. "Since today is Halloween, you all must create a piece of art that is either creepy in nature, or expresses something about the holiday you like the most. I don't care what mediums you use; we'll grade and present them tomorrow. Begin!" I focused on my work intently, combining the two options and creating a horrible monster devouring dressed-up people and candy. It took up the entire period, so when the bell rand I had barely finished. In Advanced Combat we worked on archery again; thankfully we didn't have to dress out. My literature class was filled with nothing but socializing in light of the holiday, so I was enjoying the day... Until I saw Hidan harassing a young, timid-looking girl at the beginning of lunch.

I growled, angrily clutching my fists. "HIDAAAAAN!" He whirled to face me as I stalked over to him seething. For once he actually seemed intimidated, but he toughened up as usual. "What the hell do you want, whore? Can't you see I found the perfect sacrifice to Ja-" I cut him off. "WHAT DID PEIN AND I TELL YOU ABOUT SACRIFICING INNOCENT PEOPLE TO JASHIN!?" He tried to speak, angry, but I continued. "YOU. CAN. NOT. SACRIFICE. STUDENTS. NOW GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I GIVE YOU A KNUCKLE SANDWICH!" Hidan spun on his heel and left, cursing me with all the profane words he knew. I glared at his back, then softened as I faced the terrified girl. "Sorry about that," I said, looking sheepish. "He's a nutcase; don't worry. I won't let him do _anything_ to you. I'm Miyako. Who are you?" The shy girl smiled a little at managed to stutter out, "I'm Hinata. It's nice to meet you. U-um.. Would you mind coming with me to go to my brother?" She looked down timidly. "I don't w-want any more t-trouble..." I gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course! Lead the way. Most people won't mess with me anyways, so you'll be safe."

She thanked me quietly and started to go towards the quad. I followed her, noticing that her voice and mannerisms reminded me of Jinou to a degree. 'Both talk softly, and look uncertain about what their doing. She messes with her hands, while he messes with that strange necklace... It must be a coincidence.' We had almost made it safely down the hall to the outside world when the school's biggest pimp, Kankuro, showed up. "Hey, ladies. Can I interest you in a party tonight? It'll be lots of fun, and I'm sure beautiful ladies such as yourselves would really enjoy it." I stopped dead in my tracks and slowly turned to him, causing Hinata to gasp, afraid. "Two 'beautiful ladies' like us," I hissed, "are much too dignified for your sex ploy and are _far_ beyond your reach. Now if you value your manhood, you will _never_ approach either of us with your pathetic, disgusting offer again. Am I _clear_, creep?" He looked at me in astonishment, then slowly started backing away. "S-sorry I asked, I.. uh... Got to go." He ran off, and I sighed. "Boys these days. You okay, Hinata?" She nodded, a look of relief on her face. 'She was scared... Was it because of me or that creeper?"

We had just stepped outside when a flustered looking blonde nearly ran into us. "Sorry! Um... While you're here, have you seen my idiot brother Kankuro? He's been inviting people to a "party" and I'm trying to hunt him down to kick his ass." I stared at her coldly. "Yes. I just sent that creep running for his manhood." She slapped her hand to her face, and groaned. "I am _soooo _sorry you had to deal with him. I was cursed with two social terrors for siblings. My name's Temari, by the way. It's too bad we had to meet under these circumstances." I warmed up a little; she didn't seem like a bad person. She seemed pleasant, even. 'A tough girl,' I noted. "I'm Miyako. This is my newest acquaintance, Hinata." The shy girl mumbled out a quiet greeting. Temari smiled at us, then frowned. "While I'm thinking about it, if you run into my other brother, stay away from him. Far, far away from him. He's caused bloody fights just because someone looked at him in a way he didn't like." I raised an eyebrow, but I could see she was genuine in her warning. "And who is this kid we're avoiding?" Temari sighed. "Gaara, a red-head with a love kanji on his forehead, and insomnia circles around his eyes. He's easy to spot, when he's not sitting in the dark." I nodded seriously before thanking her. "Well, I'll see you around. Nice meeting you!" The blonde girl said, then went inside the building.

"Wow. All that in the matter of 15 minutes. Great way to start of a 45 minute lunch, isn't it?" Hinata laughed softly at my sarcasm. "Definitely. Well, we're finally almost to my brother. He's over there, in fact." She pointed over to a group of four people, one of which was Jinou. 'Great. Just who I wanted to run into.' I smiled at the girl. "Alright then. Let's go before someone _else_ bothers us." We both laughed and walked over to the small group of boys, who greeted Hinata warmly. She hugged them all, then lead me over to Jinou. "Miyako, this is my brother, Jinou. Nii-san, this is Miyako- she helped save me from some scary people and made sure I got to you okay." I stared at Jinou, shocked. "YOU'RE her brother?!"

'Halloween, a day to get free candy and dress up however way we want to. Yet I willingly dressed as an elf, hmmmmmm not my best move.' This was my main thought as I went through the day, art combat, and magic. Kiba kept going on about how bad at archery I was and how I was the crappiest elf ever, but it was for Hanta. It was completely worth all the uncomfortable feeling and teasing. She was the most important person to me, I had to protect her. 'I hated the time I couldn't be here with her, to protect my baby sister.' Hinata went to drop off some stuff before the rest of the day. Me, Lee, Kiba with his stuffed dog sticking out of his backpack Akamaru, and Shikamaru stood around talking on a hill side near the edge of the quad. Usually we lie down and watch the clouds during lunch but Hinata was taking a little longer than usual.

"Jinou she must have gotten caught up by a friend or something. Don't worry friend." Said Lee dresses in a full body suit and orange leg warmers and a light green, bulky jacket. "Umm Lee what are you supposed to be?" asked Kiba dressed up as a black dog, he was a big dog person the doll reminds him of his dog back home. "I'm Guy-sensei the greatest teacher ever!" me and Shikamaru laughed. "Really Lee? That crazy combat teacher." Said Shikamaru "He's the best combat teacher in the school. I'm honored to be his pupil. And what about you Shikamaru? That's a very strange costume." "Sigh isn't it obvious? I'm a bounty hunter." Shikamaru said exasperatedly. Me and Kiba nodded, "We figured it out." I said "WHAT?! You did and didn't bother telling me?" yelled Lee, "Well we thought it was obvious." Kiba stated, we all laughed and kept the conversation about our costumes going.

After a few more minutes Kiba nudged me and pointed.

"Look there's Hinata with Miyako. Wonder why she's with her." We all looked over and greeted Hinata; she hugged everyone in turn and led Miyako to me. "Miyako, this is my brother, Jinou. Nii-san, this is Miyako- she helped save me from some scary people and made sure I got to you okay." Miyako stared at me, shocked. "YOU'RE her brother?!" she exclaimed. "Yeah I am funny huh? What was it about someone bugging you Hinata?"

"Well that kid that was going to beat you up your first day Hidan and that pimp guy Kankuro was asking us to a "party"." Said Miyako. "Ah, so that's his name and he's part of your Akatsuki gang right?" I asked Miyako, she nodded. "And he started his sacrificing bullshit again with my sister." "Pretty much, I stopped him before he could do anything to her." responded Miyako coolly. '_They're gonna be under the cherry blossom tree. That's where they always are. I could use my new technique on him. Yes I got my plan_.' I clenched my fist and Lee nodded, Shikamaru shrugged and Kiba was crossed his arms. We all silently understood what we were going to do.

I started to walk and Hinata knowing what I silently said hugged me around my waist and held me close. "Big brother no. Please doesn't start a fight." Miyako looked shocked "You can't fight him he would kill you. Besides I can't let you hurt my friend. "She stepped in front of me starting right into my eyes. There it was a light, a bright light. It saw something very important I know it was. I couldn't figure out its meaning, I was about to reach for Soul Biter from its secret holster in my leather jacket when I felt Hinata's hands shake. "Please don't Jinou; I don't want any more trouble." She was on the verge of tears and I sighed and let my left fist relax. The guys knew what it meant and they relaxed, so did Miyako.

"I'm sorry about Hidan. We're trying to straighten him out with this craziness of his; I'll keep an eye on him for you." She had a soft and caring tone towards me. Her eyes were filled with understanding as to why I wanted a fight. "Thank you Miyako. I appreciate your help." She smiled and walked away back to her friends.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

Almost a week had passed since Hinata's encounter with Hidan, but Jinou still remained tense about his sister being out of his sight. _'What if that psycho freak corners her when Miyako isn't there to save her? I wish I could fight him, but I don't want to hurt Hinata. At least Miyako has been escorting Hinata to me at lunch_.' The boy sighed and looked up at the sky, tuning out what his friends were saying. _'Thinking of Miyako, what is her problem? She's all nice one moment, then hostile the next. Maybe she's bipolar or something... I don't know but it's starting to get on my nerves. That light... It bothers me just as much as her moodiness. What could it be?'_ Kiba's voice brought him back to reality. "Hey Jinou, it's time to leave la la land and get to class." The boys laughed and went their separate ways to their respective classes. Upon entering class Jinou noticed that Miyako wasn't there yet. _'Hmm, strange. She always beats me to class._' He noticed that Deidara and Sasori were dead silent, almost looking murderous. _'Uh-oh... I wonder what happened then._' He quietly took his seat, not wanting to somehow cause them to snap.

_'I can't believe that asshole would do this to her.' Deidara fumed, gripping the desk with an iron fist. 'That moron is going to have the Akatsuki on his chicken-headed ass. How did he even know about her weakness?!_' The blonde snapped out of his thoughts for a moment when he heard the faint 'crack' of the desk starting to snap. He made himself calm down enough to let go of the innocent table. Sasori was less vicious; however he was _not_ in the mood to be messed with. _'Even Itachi is pissed at that idiot. I feel bad that he's related to that imbecile. That brat will pay for this_.' Sasori looked at the door worried. _'Where is she? She's never been late to class before, even if she's mentally or emotionally a mess._' The bell rang and Kurenai started the class. "Good morning class! Today we're starting a week- long collaborative art project. You may, of course, use any medium, but you and your partner MUST create something that represents each of you. Since it's still relatively early in the year, I assigned your partners in order to mix up some of the groups that may have been made the past few years."

The door opened to reveal Miyako, her head down with a note in her hand. She silently walked to the teacher and handed her the piece of paper. Kurenai read the note, gave a small sigh, and nodded, dismissing the girl to her seat. Miyako slowly made her way to her seat and plopped down. 'Don't break down... Don't break down.' She thought, trying to keep calm after the morning's events.

-Flashback-

_Miyako and Tobi were walking to school, when a familiar figure showed up. "Hey Miyako, Tobi. Can I speak with you for a moment?" Miyako glared at the boy in front of her. "What do you want, Sasuke? Whatever it is, you'll have to walk with me. I'm not stopping and risking our attendance for you." The boy looked hurt, but started walking with them. "So I heard you and that Jinou boy are hanging out." She scowled, irritated. "We have two classes together and I helped his sister out. Nothing more. Why do you give a damn?" Sasuke smirked. "Well, I just thought it was... Important... To remind you what happened the last time you let a guy in?" Miyako froze. "Wh-what do you mean?" The black haired boy turned to her, grinning evilly. "Oh I think you know what I mean. That whole fiasco last year with a certain boy that resulted in utter-" A swift, powerful fist to the face stopped the teenager mid-sentence, as Miyako shook violently. "You... You..." she took off running, trying not to cry. Tobi followed, frantically calling her name. She didn't stop running until she reached the sakura blossom tree and straight into Deidara's surprised arms. "Miyako, what's wrong, yeah?" One teary-eyed look from the normally strong girl told him everything. He tensed. "Who did this?" Tobi answered for the now sobbing girl. "Sasuke hurt nee-chan! He approached Tobi and nee-chan on the way to school." The whole group grew silent. "He's going to pay." Konan hissed._

-End flashback-

Jinou noticed the girl was tense the entire time Kurenai was speaking, oblivious to what was going on around her. "Jinou, you'll be partnered up with Miyako." Upon noting the girl's obliviousness, Kurenai added with a sigh, "You'll have to explain the assignment to her. She'll get it quickly, but as you can tell she's... not feeling herself today." He nodded, pondering his next move. 'I probably shouldn't bother her... But we'll need to meet up at some point to work on this. What to do, what to do?' He finally glanced at Deidara and Sasori. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Hey. Umm, I know Miyako's... Not okay, but should I try and distract her with the project?" He was surprised when the red head coolly replied. "Distract her. She really needs it." Jinou gave a half smile and thanked him before turning to the girl. He hesitated before gently touching her shoulder, jolting her to reality. "Um, Miyako? We got partnered up for a collaborative project." As he explained the project he noticed her posture change from a tense nervous wreck to a more relaxed stature. "So... I was thinking, since I have a bunch of sculpting clay with me in my dorm, and since you have a bunch of paint, we could try and do a sculpture of some sort? We'd have to work on it outside of school, but I think it'd be worth it." Miyako thought about it. 'Well, that _would_ be interesting. I've never sculpted before... It sounds fun.' "Alright," She responded, slowly. "We can work on it at my house after school all week. I've never sculpted before, so you'll have to bear with me." Jinou smiled brightly. "Great! It's not too hard, so I'm sure you'll get it in no time." She started to smile, but suddenly scowled. 'I can't let him get too close...' "Sure. Whatever. Just meet me outside the gates after school, okay?" Jinou frowned. 'There she goes again... I'm going to confront her about this. I'm tired of it!' The bell rang, and the rest of the day passed in a blur.

The two teens met outside the school gates, Tobi bouncing excitedly while rambling about something exciting that happened in his last class. Jinou looked at him a little skeptic. Miyako noticed and snapped at him. "Don't judge him. He has a damn good reason for being that way." Jinou was about to retort angrily when he saw the look in her eyes. 'She's protecting him, just as I would Hinata... This must happen a lot.' He relaxed and tried to give her a reassuring smile, which she disregarded. "Come on. Let's go." She turned without missing a beat and started walking away, cheerily talking to her brother. When they reached the small house Miyako coldly led him inside, tending to her brother first and treating Jinou as if he were a possible enemy. Jinou finally snapped. "What's your problem!?" She whirled around, surprised. Toby looked cluelessly at the angry boy before quietly saying, "Toby will be right back."

Miyako looked more composed, but not relaxed. "What do you mean, 'what's my problem'?" Jinou glared at her. "Exactly what it sounds like! What's your freakin' problem? I haven't done anything wrong to you, yet you still treat me as if I'm some irritating fly or an enemy. You'll be kind towards me for a moment and then you're back to being cold! WHAT DID I DO?!" Miyako flinched at his yell, causing him to become less angry and more confused. 'She _flinched_? That's not like her.' She sighed and looked down, her black hair hiding her face. "You may as well take a seat. It's kind of a long story, but I'll try to make it short." Jinou sat down, tense as he still angrily awaited his answer. _'I wasn't expecting this... I can't tell him everything..._' Miyako thought dejectedly. _'Today sucks_.' She took a deep breath, then nervously began.

"Toby and I lost our parents when we were very young. As you can see, he's never mentally grown up. So people make fun of him all the time. I do apologize for snapping earlier- I saw the look on your face and... well... I guess you can see I don't trust people; _especially_ after last year..." She trailed off, and Jinou lost all anger when he saw the pain on her face. She continued. "Last year I met a guy; smart, kinda cute, nice, pretty strong, blah blah blah, and of course I liked him. We started to go out, and for awhile it was nice. I trusted him with everything- all of my fears, frustrations, emotions, literally _everything_. He never betrayed me or told anyone of my secrets... Until one night he... He..." She started to tear up, but forced them back. Jinou felt bad. "You don't have to-" "No!" The girl looked at him firmly. "You deserve to know. I've treated you bad." She sighed and recomposed herself. "He tried to force me into having sex with him. I refused, and when he started to get abusive I fought back. I left a pretty good cut across his face and back from scratching at him. He was _furious_. The next day at school was living hell. He used _all_ of my fears and secrets against me, going so far as to distort them. When the Akatsuki caught wind of this, they... "Handled" him promptly, resulting in him transferring schools with a minor disability." She frowned. "On top of all the cruel things people have said and done to my brother, I just... I stopped trusting people. I pushed _everyone_ away except them. So when you came along, I... I wanted to trust you. You seem so likeable and friendly but... I'm terrified to get close. So I pushed you away the only way I knew how- to hurt you."

Jinou sat amazed, staring at the broken girl in front of him. 'This girl has been through hell and back. No wonder she acts the way she does.' She looked down, ashamed. "I'm really sorry Jinou... I am. I just... I couldn't..." Jinou hugged her, catching her off guard. "It's okay. I completely understand why you acted that way. If it had been me, I'd probably do the same." He let her go and tilted her head up. "I know you don't trust me, but I still want to be friends with you. Let's start over- how about it?" Miyako looked up at him, shocked and afraid. _'I... I want to but... C'mon Miyako, you can't stay like this forever. He's not him._' Slowly she smiled. "O-okay. Let's be friends then." Jinou flashed her a bright smile. "Alright! Now let's get to work on this project. What are we going to do?" Miyako thought, then brightened. "I have an idea!"

-one week later-

"This is our piece," Miyako said, proudly displaying a painted sculpture of two figures representing the two of them dancing on a floor with a yin-yang symbol on it. Even their necklaces were etched into the sculpture, and the two figures looked almost exactly like them. "Very impressive!" Kurenai-sensei praised. "You two did a magnificent job on this assignment- I think I'll permanently assign you two together if you keep producing this level of work. The paint job, the intricacy of the work- it's sheerly amazing!" Miyako and Jinou flushed faintly at the high praise and the immense applause they earned. Both smiled as they sat down, thinking, 'This is bound to be a _great_ friendship.'

'_The last few weeks with Miyako have been amazing. Absolutely amazing.'_ Jinou and Lee were in the sparing grounds, basic stone platforms in the west side of the school. "How's Miyako my friend?" asked Lee as he jabbed at Jinou's block trying to break it. "Fine, we're getting along very well. We're going into town tonight and have some pizza with Tobi and Hinata." Responded Jinou, grunting. Lee kicked and jabbed, but Jinou kept his defense up and strong. "So a date?" asked Lee, relaxing and bowing, Jinou bowed back. "What? No just to hang out, we wanted a break out of school so this is what we're doing." "Then are you going to ask her out when you go out? I'm sorry Jinou but it's obvious you like her." Lee threw Jinou a water bottle and he drank it quickly. "I'm not going to ask her out. We're just friends." From behind a familiar voice said "You're not good a liar, Jinou." "Hahaha that and your reflexes are crap." The whistle of a ninja star sliced through the air; Jinou leaned back and caught the star carefully. "Nice try Tenten, yes I am a good liar Shikamaru. You're just too smart." He flicked the star back and smiled. "I'm guessing you guys eavesdropped on our conversation?" Tenten jumped into the arena, "Well I want to say came in at the right time to hear what you said." Jinou laughed and hugged Tenten, then gave Shikamaru a high five.

"So I hear your going on a date with Miyako. Gonna ask her out?" asked Shikamaru with a smile. "Ooooohh you should get her a gift before you ask her out! Gives her a chance to figure if she really wants to go out with you." Tenten smiled, "I'm NOT going on a date, we're just gonna hang out. I got to get going so Hinata and I can meet them at their place." Jinou started walking up to the boy's dorm to get ready. "Put on some cologne! Girls like it!" yelled Tenten. They laughed and Jinou ran to the dorms and quickly cleaned up, then waited outside the girl's dorms for Hinata. School was over and most students were walking around in groups, others studying and just lounging around. Hinata came running up to me in a leather girl jacket with a black skirt and a white sash around her waist. Her shirt had the Saint's symbol.

"Hi Jinou! How do I look?" asked Hinata smiling, Jinou looked her up and down, then smiled. "You look cute." He hugged her and they left for Miyako's place. After 15 minutes they knocked on her door and heard Tobi's voice coming from inside saying something happily. The door opened with Miyako with black skinny jeans and long-sleeve black shirt and Tobi running out to hug me and Hinata."I like the hoodie; it's different from your leather jacket." said Miyako as she closed the door behind her. Jinou hugged Tobi and smiled, "Yeah it's cool and I needed something different." They all started to walk to the local pizza place. After about 10 minutes they walked in into the pizza parlor laughing. They ordered a large pepperoni pizza and Tobi went to play arcade games with a role of quarters Miyako gave him. 'It must be hard for Miyako when it comes to things like this, having to be the adult for Tobi.' thought Jinou.

"How's school for you Miyako?" asked Jinou, "It's going fine. It's been good since our art project." Hinata drank her Cola, reading her book. Nervously Jinou asked "What happened that week?" Miyako looked away. "It's nothing, just a stupid idiot causing trouble." Our pizza came and Tobi ran over crying "Pizza!" very happily. They ate, talking about nothing in particular. Jinou looked over to the table behind Miyako; a boy with white skin and dark hair sat watching us, drinking a soda. He got up and walked over to us and tapped Miyako on the shoulder; she looked around and her face dropped.

"So you are hanging around with Yukiko. Thought you would have learned, Miyako." said the boy. "Go away Sasuke before I destroy your manhood!" said Miyako angrily. "Ha-ha! Like you could really do anything with..." Jinou rammed him- Sasuke didn't have a chance; it was too sudden for him to react. They landed on the ground. Tobi hid under the table saying repeatedly that he was a good boy, that he didn't have fights. Hinata nervously looked around not knowing what to do. Miyako pulled Jinou off Sasuke. '_What the hell was he thinking? Trying to fight Sasuke?!_' she thought, furiously pulling Jinou away. Sasuke spat out a mouth full of blood and glared angrily at them.

"Ill show you what happens when you mess with an Uchiha!" roared Sasuke. His right hand started to spark with electricity. Jinou pushed Miyako to Hinata and they ducked for cover. Sasuke ran at Jinou, about to ram into Jinou with his lighting hand, when Jinou moved to the side and hooked Sasuke's arm with his wrist and pushed it away, kneeing him in stomach and elbowing it at the same time. Jinou threw him into the wall and Sasuke fell flat on his face. Silenced followed the slam and they ran out of the parlor.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

Miyako was furious. As soon as they had gotten a safe distance from the pizza joint she whirled to face Jinou. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!" Jinou snapped back at her, angry at her lack of appreciation. "He OBVIOUSLY was the reason you were such a mess a couple weeks back! That bastard had to pay for what he did!" Her emerald eyes flashed as he yelled, her glowing necklace seeming to pulse in her anger. "YOU COULD'VE BEEN HURT!" His yin-yang necklace seemed to do the same, only it grew ice cold as it usually did around Miyako. "I DON'T CARE! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!" "WELL I DO!" With that final yell she looked down to the floor and started to calm down. Jinou was still breathing heavily from his anger when he heard her voice softly say, "Thank you Jinou. I just... I care about you too much to let you get hurt." Her necklace stopped pulsing, but it hadn't stopped glowing. 'That really is weird how her necklace does that... Wait... She cares about me?' Tobi and Hinata looked at the two nervously, not knowing what to do. Jinou hesitated before placing a gentle hand on her cheek, startling her. Their necklaces glowed even brighter. 'H-his necklace... Wh-what's he doing?' Miyako froze, panicked about the unfamiliar action. Jinou tensed at the sight of fear in her eyes. 'She's scared of me... Why do I want to...?' He sighed. "I care too much to let people just hurt you and bring you down. You're a strong girl; if they're making you hurt, they'll pay." Miyako looked a little shocked and shy. 'He... He really cares... Can it be possible? Why do I feel the urge to...? No. I can't do this- I can't.' She looked down, making Jinou quickly retract his hand with a muttered apology.

Hinata was the first to break the silence that ensued. "W-we should pr-probably get home s-soon, or at l-least inside." Tobi nodded enthusiastically. "YEAH! Tobi is afraid of the scary people. Tobi thinks we all should go to Tobi's house?" Miyako smiled. "That's a great idea Tobi! We can have a sleep over since it's a Friday. Let's go before we run into more trouble." The quartet made their way through the streets until they ended up at their destination. Miyako let them in before shutting the door tightly and locking it. "Alright! Who wants to watch a movie? I think we still have popcorn from the last time I went shopping." The pale girl was assaulted with excited responses of affirmation, making her smile. "Good. While I make the popcorn, you guys figure out what you want to watch." She zipped into the kitchen, her long black hair swishing behind her and disappearing.

Jinou blushed faintly at the sight. 'She's _so pretty... Agh! Come on Jinou focus!_' He tuned into the discussion between Hinata and Tobi about what movie they should watch, only to discover it was a tie between _Stardust_ (Hinata's choice) and _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ (Tobi's choice.) Jinou smiled slightly; Hinata always did love a cute movie. "How about both? It IS a sleepover; if we don't finish one we'll watch it after we wake up tomorrow." When Miyako came in with the popcorn she settled which movie would be watched first within ten seconds. "We'll watch _Stardust _first, since Hinata is our guest. We'll watch your movie later if we don't get to it, okay Tobi?" Tobi reluctantly agreed before bouncing over to put the movie in. Hinata sat comfortably in one of two old armchairs they had, while Tobi curled up in the other chair. Miyako and Jinou sat on the couch, not touching each other. _'I hope I don't fall asleep on him...' Miyako mused. 'I'm pretty tired from the day though. Combat and magic class really wore me out, along with... Him... showing up_.' Jinou made an effort not to put his hand anywhere near hers. 'Ugh... Maybe Shikamaru is right. Maybe I _do _like her... Naw, that can't be it. Besides, she'd never go for the likes of me...'

Half way through the movie Tobi and Hinata had fallen asleep. Jinou glanced at the clock. 'Midnight already?' He glance at Miyako and had to suppress a chuckle; she was clearly fighting sleep. "Tired, Miyako?" The girl glanced at him surprised before nodding reluctantly. He smiled at her. _'So cute..._' "You can use my shoulder as a pillow if you need to." The girl gave a childish pout. "I'll be fine. Thanks though." He shrugged and turned his attention back to the movie. Miyako tried to, but couldn't focus on it. _'Ugh, I'm so tired... I have to admit he does look pretty comfy... It would be nice... Wait, what? I can't possibly like him... He wouldn't be interested either._' Her attention was drawn to his faintly glowing necklace. _'I wonder why that thing's always glowing around me..._'

As the movie got closer to the end Miyako found herself wanting to lay down more and more. She eventually dozed off, slowly tilting over towards the unsuspecting boy. Neither had realized how far she'd gone until her head lightly touched his shoulder, causing them both to jump. She straightened up instantly, blushing faintly. Jinou smiled comfortingly before gently laying her back on his shoulder. "It's fine. Really, I don't mind. Get comfortable; you've had a long day." Miyako peered up at him, uncertain. He carefully put his arm around her and pulled her into his side. _'What am I doing_?' _'What's he doing?_' they thought simultaneously. She hesitated, their eyes locking for a moment. _'There's something intriguing about his eyes... The red and blue just draws me in... What's this emotion I see?' 'The light's still there... She looks confused- why? What's making her confused? Why do I want to feel those lips...? What's wrong with me?'_ Jinou quickly looked away, overwhelmed with the rush of emotions and questions that were running through his head. He was surprised to feel the pressure of her head against his chest, but smiled and put his arm back around her small frame. By the time the movie had finished she had fallen asleep there. Jinou stayed as still as he could, trying not to wake her up. Soon he, too, was falling asleep, still holding her.

The warmth of the sun peaking through the living room curtains woke up Jinou. He looked down groggily and saw that he had managed to lay down on his side; Miyako had stretched out with him, her head now laying right above his hip. He froze, panicking. _'What if she wakes up and thinks I tried something?!_' He glanced around frantically and noticed that Hinata and Tobi were gone; a quick whiff of the air told him they had cooked some sort of breakfast. He focused on the problem at hand _'She looks so peaceful... I guess it wouldn't hurt to let her stay there.'_ He relaxed and patiently waited for her to wake up. When she did he anxiously awaited her reaction, terrified she'd be mad at him.

Miyako groaned as she slowly woke up. "Mmmph... What time is it...?" She noticed she was in the living room. 'Wait, if I'm in the living room, then what was I using as a pillow?' She turned to look, confused, then grew pale. _'Oh. My. Gosh. I slept on him!? How embarrassing...' _She looked to see if he was awake, desperately hoping he was still asleep. What she was greeted with was a warm, sheepish, and anxious smile. "Good morning Miyako. Did you sleep well?" She struggled up, stiff from sleeping on the couch all night. "Good morning Jinou. I did; did you?" She gave him a hesitant smile, which he seemed relieved about. "Yeah, I did. I fell asleep not long after the movie ended. Ehm, sorry about how we ended up. I woke up to us like this." She blushed faintly before responding, "It's okay. Really, it's not like you tried to rape me or something. For the record, you're really comfortable." He smiled at that, then looked down shyly. "U-um, Miyako? Can I ask you something?" The girl in question nodded. "Sure, go ahead. What's up?" The boy hesitated. "W-well, could... Could we, maybe... Um... C-cuddle again? We d-don't have to," He added quickly, afraid to come off wrong. "It's just... It felt so nice... I've never held anyone other than Hinata."

Miyako blushed at the request, but she couldn't deny that she wanted it, too. "S-sure Jinou. I-I'd like that, too." Jinou carefully stretched out, putting his legs up on the couch and behind Miyako. She slowly laid down with her back to him, her heart pounding in her chest. After she adjusted and got comfortable, he wrapped a warm arm around her and held her close. Her cool form slowly grew warmer against his heater-like temperature, and she started to lull back to sleep. 'This feels nice...' They both thought, before dozing off into sleep.

Hinata and Tobi returned from their trip to pick up some stuff for the day and quietly walked into the living room. Hinata gasped in surprised before smiling at the sight of her brother fast asleep with Miyako in his arms. _'He looks so blissful. I haven't seen him that content since we were little.'_ Tobi silently put Jinou's clothes on the chair before he and Hinata snuck back out. When they got outside he turned to Hinata, calm for once. "Tobi hasn't seen nee-chan so peaceful since her and Tobi were very young." Hinata glanced at him, surprised. "S-same with my b-brother. Th-they seem good for each other." Tobi nodded. "What will happen to nee-chan?" Hinata sighed, looking at the world around her. "I don't know Tobi. O-only time w-will tell, I s-suppose."

Everyone finally ate breakfast around 10. Bacon eggs and hash browns all made by Hinata who was blushing bright red form Tobi's excitement on how good the food was. "I-Im only good b-because Jinou t-taught me." She spluttered out. They all laughed and Jinou nodded. "I taught her Tobi, I'm really the cook in the family. Hinata wanted to learn." The group continued to talk and eat through breakfast; soon after they watched _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_.All was fun and joyful. Afterwards Hinata and Jinou said there goodbyes. Jinou giving Miyako one final hug. "See you at school okay?" said Jinou cheerfully, "Of course." Said Miyako brightly.

Hinata and Jinou walked back to the school talking about what happened last night, "You looked really happy big brother, did you en-enjoy the food?" asked Hinata "Breakfast was really good Hinata, you should really be proud of yourself and yeah it was a nice change- doing something else since we're living out at school now."

They walked through the gates and split going to their dorms. All Jinou thought about was how amazing Miyako was. 'She was so beautiful, and it felt so nice to just hold her close to me... Maybe they're right. I do like Miyako.' Jinou knocked on the door and opened it.

"Hey guys I'm back and I wanted to ask if…." Jinou stopped seeing Neji Hyuga leaning against the window watching me. "Nice to see you cousin. How's the school going for you?" he asked coolly. "It's going fine, hard but fine at the moment. How about you Neji?" he mentally checked the weapons closest to him, a knife on the frame of the door, a gun placed behind the dresser and Soul Biter in the special holster of his sweater.

"What are you doing here Neji?" I asked tensely. He smiled and replied "I just came here to give you the invitation to the Christmas party I'll be having at my place. You can bring some of your friends if you want to. I honestly wouldn't mind, most of the school will come. Here." He tossed the invitation letter to me and I caught it without flinching. He smiled and walked out the door.

Jinou then sighed as the door closed and lay down on the bed opening the letter. It was the usual invitation to a Christmas party at his place a couple towns away from the school. '_Me and Hinata were always invited since we're cousins but I never liked going. But now, since I may have people to come with, I don't think it would be so bad. Plus I could ask if Miyako would want to go with us_.' He then yawned and fell asleep not wanting to think about his cousin, only thinking of the girl he enjoyed to be around.

Jinou began to dream, first about irrelevant memories of the past and his family, and then slowly it morphed into the most peculiar scene. He was with Kiba and Shikamaru in their normal hang out spot, only with Miyako tucked underneath his arm socializing with them. She was smiling brightly, and her necklace was glowing as it tended to do around him, when a blonde haired kid about their age bounded up to them energetically. A sun pendant around his neck caught Jinou's attention as it glinted in the sun, and his yin-yang necklace felt strange- it was half cold as it was around Miyako, but it was half warm at the arrival of this newcomer. As he stared at the necklace it seemed to glow brightly, almost exactly like the sun. The blinding light hurt until it was combated with a silvery-blue beam of light shooting from Miyako's pendant. The two lights seemed to battle until a sudden throb from Jinou's own necklace sent a peculiar circle of power around the two, forcing the lights into a matching yin-yang circle. A strange tingling sensation shot down his spine, making him shoot up in bed, wide awake. As he took in the familiar setting around him Jinou frowned. _'That was strange. What was that all about?'_

His eyes fell on the invitation his cousin gave him, and he sighed. Looking at the details he noted that it was semi-formal, making him a little intrigued. '_Well, I suppose I should go ask Kiba, Shikamaru and Miyako if they want to come with me tomorrow._' After freshening up a bit Jinou went outside to hunt down his friends. He turned a corner, lost in thought about the strange dream when he ran into someone. "Oh! Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." He looked up to see a short red headed boy with a love kanji engraved on his forehead glaring at him. 'Oh shit. It's Gaara. Not exactly the greatest way to meet someone...' Jinou gave a small smile and stepped aside, starting to continue on his way when the red head spoke. "You better watch out next time, punk. You may not live to see the next day if you do it again." Jinou glared icily at him, anger stirring in him. "Hey, I said I was sorry. Don't threaten me, Gaara. I'm not easily scared." Gaara's eyes slit, the insomniac circles making him seem infinitely more evil. "You wanna go? I can kill you in a heartbeat." The two boys stood silently, tense and ready to fight. "Ooooiiii! Jinou!" Kiba's loud voice echoed from down the hall before he realized just what was going on. "Oh crap... Shika, get help. Quick!" The genius nodded and took off running, leaving Kiba to try and diffuse the situation.

"Now guys, fighting isn't the best way to solve problems... You can always compete in a sport or something, right?" A quick glare from both boys silenced Kiba. _'Shit, hurry up Shikamaru..._' Things were about to get ugly as the two began to prepare for an attack when a distinctly feminine voice cut through the tension. "Jinou, how many fights am I going to have to get you out of?" The two fighters jumped at the new voice and turned to find Miyako standing by a slightly out of breath Shikamaru. Jinou growled. "You brought _her_?!" Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly. "She was the first person I ran into that stands a chance. Plus she was looking for you." Gaara began to size up the newcomer and snarled. "She stands no chance against me!" Miyako gave him the coldest, calmest look that anyone had ever seen, causing him to flinch in surprise. _'Someone dares to stand up against me? It feels like her eyes are piercing my soul!'_ He thought, slightly panicked. "Now, I'm sure you've taught people their lesson in judging a book by its cover, _Gaara_. Don't make me teach you the same lesson. You both _will_ back down this instant- there's no need to be fighting." Gaara scowled. "He ran into me." Her glare made him realize how weak that excuse sounded. "_Really_?! That's _really_ what has your panties in a bunch?! Are you guys _really_ that immature?! Grow up already!" The insult shocked Gaara, making him lose his temper and lunge at Miyako. Before she could even move Jinou shoved him, launching him down the hall with a loud snarl.

The red head shook his head, dazed. _'I know that look. He's overly protective of her... This could work to my advantage.' _He started to get up, planning how to effectively incapacitate everyone in the room when he saw Miyako's slender hand reach out to him. He glanced up into her green orbs and was confused by the emotion in them. _'What's this? Compassion? What kind of trickery is this?_' Her voice was softer when she spoke to him next. "Look, I have nothing against you. My name is Miyako. I take it you're Gaara, seeing as you match Temari's description. I really don't want to fight you, but I won't let you hurt my friends." Gaara looked at her pale hand, then at the people behind her. _'This... This has to be a trap. I'm out of here.'_ He got up, roughly pushing her aside and quickly exiting, confused and afraid. Everyone stood there, a little dazed at the sudden reaction. Jinou broke the silence first. "That was weird. Well, since I have you all here, I'd like to invite you to my cousin's Christmas party tomorrow at 4 pm. It's semi-formal, and you can meet up with Hinata and I here to get over. Tobi can come too, Miyako." The boys nodded enthusiastically, and Miyako thought about it for a bit. "Well, I can go. Toby and the boys are heading out for a guys' night so he won't be able to attend. But... Well I don't really... Umm... Own any really nice clothes." She looked down, embarrassed. "We never really had the money to buy a lot so we get what we can, when we can." Jinou smiled at her and tilted her head up, making his two friends snicker. After shooting them a glare he said, "Don't worry about it. You and Hinata are about the same size- I'm sure she has a nice kimono you can borrow. It's no hassle; she loves to help out a friend in need."

Miyako's face brightened up and she smiled, excited. "Alright then, count me in!" Jinou mentally cheered but replied, "Cool! Let's go and ask Hinata now. She'll probably drag you in now so you can look." The small girl looked shy as he dragged her enthusiastically down the hall, leaving Shikamaru and Kiba behind. Kiba grinned at his best friend. "He's really fallen for her, hasn't he?" Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, he has. How troublesome." Kiba rolled his eyes at the lack of enthusiasm before thinking for a moment. "I wonder if this party will have any... 'Results' for them?" The genius thought before replying, "I don't know. I guess we'll find out tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Miyako was shyly sitting on Hinata's bed as the normally quiet girl was excitedly bustling about her room, digging through her closet and bringing out her collection of various kimonos. As soon as she heard Miyako needed something to wear her face lit up and, as her brother said, proceeded to drag Miyako into her room to pick something out. _'I have to admit, Hinata and Jinou both have a good sense of variety and style.' _Miyako mused as she peered at the multiple colors layering Hinata's spare bed. Hinata finally pulled out the last kimono, setting the amount of kimonos to a grand total of fourteen. "Now Miyako, don't be afraid to try any of them on if they interest you. I r-rarely have something to wear them to; s-so it'll be an honor to have you wear one." After noting Hinata's stutter had decreased immensely in her excitement Miyako began the timid process of elimination. Right away she eliminated anything pink, yellow or orange, dropping the number of choices from fourteen to eight. _'Ugh, there are so many choices! No wonder she never has a chance to wear them.'_ Miyako shook her head a little, then eliminated four more kimonos that were pastel in color. 'So not up to the Christmas spirit.' All that was left were red, black, dark purple and dark blue kimonos, all with pretty scenes stitched into them. "Try them on! Let's see how they look on you." Hinata urged, handing her the red kimono decorated with an elaborate dragon sprawling over it. Miyako clumsily put on the beautiful garment and looked in the mirror. "Hmm... Well it is very nice, but I think it would be better for a New Year's celebration rather than a Christmas party." Hinata agreed. "Yeah. Oh! W-well I know it's not exactly a Christmas-y color but I think the black kimono w-with the silver butterflies would look the best on you for the occasion." Miyako hesitated but tried it on.

When she looked in the mirror she gasped in delight. It _did_ look really nice on her, especially with her black hair and slim form to compliment it. To be certain she liked it the best Miyako tried the other two colors, but the black kimono won. "Come by at two tomorrow and we'll g-get ready together, okay M-Miyako?" The girl laughed at Hinata's sudden shyness and nodded. "Alright. Thank you so much Hinata. I'll see you tomorrow!"

Miyako left her home with the few things she needed to get ready in Hinata's dorm. _'I may not like dressing up, but I might as well look nice. Besides, maybe Jinou will notice me... What on earth am I thinking?! Why would I want to...?'_ She stopped in her tracks as she came to an epiphany. _'I like him... There's no other explanation. Every time I see or think about him my heart starts to race (which is more frequently than I'd like to admit) and I let him hold me.'_ She sighed and kept walking, her head down. _'Not like it matters. There's no way he'll like me- I'm a tomboy, I'm in a notorious gang, and I'm not all that pretty. Oh well... One can always daydream._' Miyako glanced up to see she was entering the school grounds; a quick glance at her watch made her take off running. 'SHIT I'm going to be late!' She arrived at Hinata's room right at 2 pm. Taking a moment to catch her breath Miyako knocked on the door. An excited "Come in" gave Miyako permission to enter uncertainly.

Hinata already had everything laid out on the two beds; one bed had the purple kimono from the other day neatly spread out with various accessories and makeup while the other simply had the black kimono and a few accessories. Hinata smiled sheepishly. "I d-don't have v-v-very many things for the b-black one, but we c-can use other things, too." Miyako smiled. "It's fine, Hinata. I really don't want to be too fancy..." Hinata noticed her friend's discomfort. "Y-you aren't used to dressing up a-are you?" Miyako shook her head. "Don't worry, M-miyako. You'll l-look amazing. No one w-will be able to take their e-eyes off you, not even my b-brother." At this Miyako blushed a little, causing Hinata to giggle. "C-come on, Miyako. We should g-get ready now." The two bustled about, primping and fussing over their appearance until they were ready to go. Miyako had just finished sweeping her hair up into an elaborate hairclip her mother owned when there was a knock on the door. "Th-the boys are here!" Hinata hurried to the door and opened it to reveal the boys dressed up nicely.

Miyako hid behind Hinata, suddenly extremely self-conscious. _'I can fight all sorts of people and stand up to Gaara, but I can't face my friends in something nice? C'mon Miyako...' _Hinata noticed her friend's distress and gently pulled her out the door, earning a few gasps from the three guys. "Wow. You both look absolutely..." Kiba started, and Jinou finished. "Amazing. Absolutely amazing." Both girls flushed at their reactions, and Miyako managed to squeak out, "W-we should get going, before we're late." The five teenagers made their way out of the school into a waiting van. The drive was full of socializing and jokes, making Miyako feel more at ease. It wasn't until they arrived to the extravagant house that she felt nervous again. Jinou noticed her sudden silence and squeezed her hand reassuringly, making her jump. "It'll be fine; just stay with me and you'll be okay." She smiled at him gratefully and nodded.

Neji greeted them at the door, noticing the new faces of Jinou and Hinata's friends. He especially took notice of Miyako, who was clinging desperately to Jinou's arm. Smiling smoothly he gently took her hand and kissed it delicately, much to Jinou's dislike. "Welcome to my home. I hope you enjoy the party, Miss...?" "Mizuki Miyako." She said bluntly, drawing her hand back uncomfortably. Neji looked a little surprised by her reaction, but shrugged it off. "Well Mizuki-chan, if you need anything feel free to ask." She nodded her thanks and hid behind the siblings as they went in the door. Time passed by slowly as they socialized with random people. The group of five rarely split up, feeling most comfortable with each other. Eventually the sun set and the moon rose, revealing a snow-covered ground. Clouds loomed on the horizon, promising more snow later, but for the time being the world was encompassed by the beautiful silvery-blue light of the moon. Miyako noticed and went to stare out the window, when Neji quietly stepped besides her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" She jumped, instantly uncomfortable with his presence. "Yes, it _is_ gorgeous. I love the moonlight in general; the snow makes it a million times better." There was a brief silence, before Neji spoke softly. "I happened to notice you interacting with my guests, and I can't help but feel a bit... Intrigued, by your shy nature, Miyako-chan." She frowned. "Mizuki-san. And I'm flattered, but I'm simply not interested in a rich boy's petty fancies. Flirt with someone else." She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist. "You haven't given me a fair chance-" She slapped him, drawing everyone's attention to them. "I _said_, I'm not interested. Now let go before I severely hurt your arm." Pulling away roughly Miyako quickly escaped out the front doors and into the cold. Jinou glared at his foolish cousin before pursuing the distressed girl.

He found her in the frozen garden, staring up at the moon. He stopped a few feet away from her, admiring the way the moonlight made her seem surreal, almost fairy-like. He cleared his throat, getting her attention. "I'm sorry about my cousin. He isn't exactly used to girls not swooning at the sight of him." Miyako looked down as the boy hesitantly closed the distance until he was right beside her. "I... I can't blame him for finding you attractive." He gazed at the moon, flushing slightly as she looked at him surprised. "Y-you're... Well you're absolutely gorgeous- more so than usual. However, he really doesn't know how incredible a person you are." The girl was in complete shock. _'What's he getting at? Is he being serious? He couldn't possibly... Is he blushing?'_ Jinou was panicking. _'What am I saying? Can I really tell her...? What if she hates me? But what if she feels the same... I've got to try.'_ Taking a deep breath he looked down at her as the clouds finally started to cover the moon, a sharp wind sending goose bumps down their spines. Neither of them noticed, their attention riveted on the other. "I... I know I'm not much to look at, and I don't stand a chance but... I have to admit it to you. I've kinda liked you ever since I first saw you, but as I've gotten to actually know you it's only gotten stronger. I don't think it's love, seeing as it's only been a few months, but... I do know that I really, _really_ like you- for the person both inside and out."

Snowflakes began to fall delicately from the clouds, landing in their hair gently. Miyako was quiet, processing this information. His blue and red eyes stared intensely as he waited to either be rejected or accepted. _'He... He likes me. He really does like me. Do I dare reach for something this good?'_ She came to her decision and slowly smiled up at him, timidly grazing his surprisingly warm cheek with her frozen hand. "I... I feel the same way about you. You're the first person I've been able to trust outside of the Akatsuki for two years. I enjoy being around you; heck just thinking about you makes my heart flutter against my will...' Jinou's eyes went from anticipation, to shock, to pure joy. He smiled and pulled the girl in close for a warm hug. His necklace was biting cold, but he didn't care. _'She likes me... Me of all people!'_ As he drew away he couldn't help but be entranced by her slightly quivering lip. _'She's cold. Hell I am too but... I may as well take the chance.' _They gazed at each other, blue and red meeting emerald. Slowly he leaned towards her, she tipping her head up and patiently waiting in quiet uncertainty. Their noses gently brushed together, causing them both to shiver a little at the unusual contact. The snow continued to fall silently; everything was still, waiting in suspended anticipation. He gently put a slightly rough hand on her cheek and she shyly wrapped her arms behind his neck. Finally Jinou closed the small distance and his warm lips encompassed her soft cold ones in a sweet, gentle kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 9

The birds chirped early in the morning and Jinou was smiling enjoying a butter bagel while sitting with Miyako, holding each other's hand. She was eating a small peanut butter sandwich. They were watching the sun rise together on the training grounds before school started. They wanted to hang out alone together for a bit.

"How did you sleep Miyako?" Jinou ask taking a small bite of the bagel.

"It was really good. I had a dream that we walked in a snowy forest and you were gently kissing me..." she slowly trailed off blushing. Jinou laughed and put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "You're so cute Miyako." She blushed more and snuggled into him eating the last of her sandwich. They stayed like that in silence enjoying each other's company and warmth. Soon the sun was fully raised and Miyako kissed his cheek and slowly pulled away.

"I gotta meet my friends Jinou, don't want to leave them hanging just cuz I have a boyfriend." She said teasingly. Jinou gave an adorable pout; Miyako kissed it and got up smiling. "Okaaaaaaay." Said Jinou and they started to walk over to the main quad area. He kissed her sweetly and let her walk to the cherry blossom tree. She was dressed in black jeans and instead of the usual black shirt she had on a blue tank top, with her hair up in pony tail that looked cute on her. He smiled and walk to his hill side where is friends were smiling at him as he approached.

"So how was your early morning with Miyako?" asked Kiba with a smirk on his face. "Shut up." Said Jinou, blushing a bit and Lee said, smiling "Just don't get soft my friend." Jinou punched him in the chest, "That soft?" They all laughed as the bell rang. They quickly head to their classes and as Jinou walked pass the cherry blossom tree he gently caught one and looked towards the tree, where some of the Akatsuki were watching him. Jinou sped up to class evading there gaze. "Hiiii!" Said Miyako, excitedly waiting outside the class room. They hugged and kissed gently, and Jinou placed the cherry blossom in Miyako's hair. She giggled and blushed. He smiled and they walked into class holding hands.

Miyako was shyly looking around and people glanced in their direction. _'Looks like everyone knows we're dating now. Why does he have to do the cutest things for me?' _She smiled and adjusted the cherry blossom. _'I do love the flower- it looks really pretty.' _Jinou chuckled a bit at the staring faces. _'News does travel fast in Elvanor, but why are they watching me like hawks?' _Thought Jinou. Sasori and Deidara were very quiet and he couldn't help but think they were watching him. Miyako brought out her paint and brushes humming a happy tune, giggling a bit when she would lightly touch the blossom. The assignment was to draw 3 dimensional figures. They drew in silence; Miyako shyly put her hand under the table and Jinou gently reached for it. They kept like that for the rest of the lesson.

The bell rang and the class packed up. Miyako and Jinou walked over to Advanced Combat 2 together. They kissed before they went into their separate locker rooms. The class filled into the gym and a Kakashi was leaning against a chalk board that said "personal weapons." Once everyone was in the gym he said loudly while putting his book away, "Okay class today I want you to bring out your own personal weapon. This will be a two week unit on how to use your weapon properly. I hope you know how to fight, because at the end of the unit you must fight me for your final grade." The class was silent as the news sunk in.

Miyako scowled as the information processed. _'We're going to fight Kakashi-sensei? We're so toast. At least we have two weeks to perfect our skills... But we can't let Kakashi get too familiar with our techniques so he doesn't form a pattern.'_ She snapped back into the real world as he began to speak again. She noticed Sakura talking to a new student by him- a rather energetic looking blonde. "By the way, we have a possible new student joining our class- rather late in by the way, but they excelled in the normal class. This is Uzumaki Naruto. He will be fighting with some of you to see if they qualify for this class or not." A murmur went through the crowd of students, speculating the late arrival. Kakashi called the class to attention, then split up the group by fighting styles. The new arrival was in Miyako's group, specializing in blades. Kakashi came around to each group and gave explicit directions and general rules of thumb that Miyako already knew before he paired them up to fight.

"Miyako, since there's an uneven amount of people in your style and you're on the more advanced side, would you mind taking on the newcomer one on one?" She nodded. "Sure, no problem." Glancing passively at him she simply said, "Come on. Let's finish this quickly." The other groups were watching since they had finished their work earlier that week and were being lazy. Miyako stated that she'd give him time to warm up as well, and he thanked her before getting in a defensive stance. _'Much different mindset... Hmm, he may prove a challenge. If his mindset matches his skill, that is._' Miyako briefly thought before the match started. She was sorely mistaken. The blonde was an _extremely_ good challenge, blocking her blows and attacking her with relative ease. However they both landed brutal blows on each other, leaving bruises and cuts and blood splatterings on the floor. At the end of the match both competitors were panting and bleeding.

Everyone was shocked, especially Jinou. _'He did even better than I did against her, and I have to admit I did really good considering her training. I'm officially impressed.' _Kakashi smiled- at least it looked like he was smiling behind his mask. 'Extraordinary! I haven't seen Miyako fight so hard since she fought against Jinou and Hidan. You, Naruto, are one piece of work. Welcome to Advanced Combat." Both competitors smiled before sinking to the floor in exhaustion. Two very frazzled nurses scurried over even faster than they already were coming and started to heal the two students. Miyako glanced over at the blonde. "You're amazing- I've never seen such a technique before." Naruto grinned, almost looking sheepish. "Thanks. I had to teach myself at a young age, so I've had time- like you- to perfect things. Hey, ummm.. Would you mind if Sakura and I hang out with you two?" Miyako laughed at the boy's awkwardness. "Of course not. Any friend of Sakura is a friend of mine. I'll introduce you to my friends first. They're... Good people to have on your side." Jinou's face darkened at this, causing his girlfriend to stop smiling and look worried. _'He's not happy... But why? They haven't done anything wrong... Excluding Hidan but he said he was fine with that... What could possibly be wrong?'_


	10. Chapter 10

Miyako got dressed, a bit tender from the match. 'Those nurses are amazing, but I'm still pretty sore. Sigh, what could be wrong with Jinou...? I know it deals with the Akatsuki; he's never liked them much. Oh well. I'll confront him later. For now I'll introduce the other two to my friends.' She hooked her necklace and left the changing room, seeing Naruto and Sakura in a good conversation with Jinou. She tried giving Jinou a kiss on the cheek but he avoided it, much to her dismay. She slit her eyes towards him before turning to the others and smiling. "Let's go!" She noticed Jinou had flinched at her glare, but she ignored it. He followed behind them as she led them to the cherry blossom tree. 'I wish she'd leave this gang. They aren't good people to be around- they're violent and a little too bloodthirsty for my tastes. She doesn't need them- she has me now.' He scowled, but quickly guarded his expression. He didn't want Miyako getting angry and sending him away.

But it was too late. She noticed and stopped right in front of the school doors. "I don't know what you're problem is, but ever since I mentioned my friends you've been sour. If you have something to say either say it or get away from me Jinou!" Sakura and Naruto looked uneasy, but Jinou held his ground. "You know I don't like them- especially Hidan! You don't need them anymore- you have me!" She got deathly quiet, which seemed to scare the other two more than her blatant anger. "They. Are. My. Family. Get over yourself and accept that, Jinou." She said icily before turning around and continuing towards the gang. The two new acquaintances followed quietly, not sure what just happened. Jinou spun around and stormed to his dorm room.

Deidara greeted her with a big smile and hug. "Hey, Miyako, yeah. How are you, yeah?" She smiled at her friend's strange mannerism. "I'm fine. I just wanted to introduce you guys to two new acquaintances whom I've found to be quite friendly. Guys, this is Naruto and Sakura." The gang sized them up quickly and, finding them acceptable, greeted them benevolently. Hidan, of course, targeted Sakura for his next sacrifice. "Can I make that bitch my next sacrifice? Jashin would love such a beautiful girl." Sakura paled, and Naruto instantly riled up. Miyako sighed. "No, Hidan you can NOT make the girl Jashin's next sacrifice." A quick glare shut him up- he knew that glare well and didn't feel like getting beat up today. She turned to Sakura. "You'll have to forgive him- he has an... Interesting religious view and a horrible mouth to go with it. That's the closest thing you'll get to a compliment from him, so take it more as an honor as ironic as it is."

This explanation instantly calmed the two friends, putting them at ease. Sakura looked a little confused though. "Miyako-chan, why doesn't Jinou-kun like them?" Everyone got really quiet. Tobi looked at his sister with sad puppy eyes. "Jinou doesn't like Tobi-kun?!" Miyako quickly consoled her brother. "No Tobi he likes you. He doesn't like my friends because... Well..." She took a deep breath. "We're a gang. Officially, we're known as the Akatsuki, and we have a repertoire for bloody conflict resolution. What most people, such as Jinou, don't understand is that we're violent, yes, but we're also insanely loyal. We're the closest thing to a family, besides Tobi and I who are actually blood related. Jinou thinks that I shouldn't be with them anymore since he can protect me, but he doesn't seem to realize that they're my family."

Sakura and Naruto had surprised expressions as they absorbed all this information. "You're the Akatsuki?!" Sakura exclaimed. Miyako nodded uncertainly. "So that's why you said it would be good to know them." Naruto said slowly. "You knew that if we were on their good side, we'd have a very powerful ally on our side." Miyako nodded. "You don't have to be part of us. But we have alliances, too. Just not very many; most people avoid us, which is fine with us." The two friends smiled. "Well you guys don't seem all that bad. I don't see why we can't be allies." Naruto stated, Sakura nodding an agreement. Tobi tackle hugged Miyako, knocking her into Naruto. A bright flash of light shot from her necklace, and when her vision cleared she saw that a similar, but golden light was emitting from under Naruto's shirt. The lights started entwining for a moment, before they became violent towards each other. Tobi pulled his sister off, shattering the connection but not stopping the strange glow.

Everyone was bewildered, and Naruto pulled out a sun pendant from his shirt. "That's really weird." Miyako said, pulling out her moon pendant in a trancelike manner. Everyone stood quiet for a few minutes, trying to figure out what just happened. Sakura was the first to speak. "What do you think caused that?" Miyako and Naruto both shrugged. "I don't know, but Jinou has a yin-yang necklace that glows around me, too. He says it gets cold when he's by me." Naruto's brow furrowed in thought. "Hmm, there has to be a connection. We should look this up in the library- see if there are any legends or myths related to the sun, the moon, and the yin-yang symbol." Pein spoke up. "Everyone in the gang is busy today. We can't look with you." Miyako grimaced. "I can't either. We'll have to look this weekend after homework is done. Are you two game?" Sakura and Naruto nodded. "Good. I'll talk to Jinou about it and we'll see what we find. The bell rang, signaling classes were about to begin. The group of students split up wordlessly as they headed to their respective classes.

Fuck my life!Was the only thought running though Jinou's mind as he sat in 5th period, language arts. The teacher was droning on about how to make an essay acceptable for grading. The school since it was still a school, even though it taught very gifted children. 'Still had a curriculum for normal learning, still doesn't make things any less boring.' thought Jinou, looking at the author in the sky, (now we fix the 4th wall). Jinou sighed and looked out the window and noticed Naruto sitting on the roof, holding his sun pendant. As soon as Jinou saw Naruto his own pendant started to feel very warm and a brighter glow than Miyako's. 'This is so weird, I think it has something to do with Miyako and Naruto, probably should ditch class and find out. Hmmm no one is looking and I could get out easily enough, yeah I'll go for it.'Jinou took a deep breath then the teacher turned around and started to read out loud copying what was in the book to the black board. Jinou focused his energy to make him physically more lighter then he quickly unhooked the window with the little magic he posed and sideways jumped through the window and used chakra to stay on the slated roof tiles and magic the window shut. He then cat-like crawled over to Naruto who still didn't notice until he was about 2 feet away. He then pulled out a knife and swung backwards using chakra like Jinou to defy gravity. Lucky Jinou was already crouched to dodge the slash, he smiled."Nice, but you have to be quicker and a bit more precise next time." He then noticed the blond's sun pendant was glowing now. "Do you happen to know why your pendent is glowing like how Miyako's does?"

"I was sort a hopping you could tell me" replied Naruto sitting back down. Jinou looked really puzzled "I honestly don't know what they do this. It's so weird, when its glowing around Miyako my pendant feels cold and when around you, it feels warm. Hmmmm maybe if we look it up on the internet at the library?" "Sure I'll go for that. Oh I kinda want to ask you... well..." Naruto looked very uncomfortable and rubbed his neck, "Well why you don't like the Akatsuki?" Jinou was very silent and didn't answer right away but jumped down from the roof and shot fire from his feet to help him land gently. He then looked up at Naruto, "To me they seem bad people, and there just a violent group of people that won't hesitate to hurt her if they need to. Aren't we suppose to find out why our pendants glow?" asked Jinou a little coldly the blond nodded quickly and jumped down using the same technique as the black hair boy. "Yeah let's go and afterwards, you wanna try hanging out during 6th? Sakura and a friend are meeting at the northern tower roof. You can bring Miyako… if she still is gonna talk to you. If not feel free to bring some friends along too." Jinou smiled a bit as they walked to the library, "Sure I'm down with that, I'll text Miyako about it." He pulled out his phone as they entered the silent library. Naruto quickly grabbed a computer and started typing on Google.

Jinou texted Miyako:

**Me: Miyako do you wanna meet up during 6****th****with Naruto and Sakura? We're gonna meet at the North tower roof. Naruto said we can bring along a friend if we want to. It's your call… sorry about before...**

Miyako's phone buzzed in her pocket as she scribbled down notes in history class. She quietly pulled out her phone from her pocket and looked at the screen, it was Jinou. She scowled I hope this is an apology for before.She read what it said and txted back:

**Me: I'm in and I'll see you there babe… you're forgiven...**

Miyako then texted Itachi:

**Me: Hey dude do you wanna ditch 6****th****and hang out with me? I'm going to the north tower roof with Naruto and Sakura… and Jinou**

**Itachi: Sure I'm game; I'll see you at the base of the tower**

Miyako smiled 'Yay I get to hang with someone if Jinou still acting irritable.' Jinou read the txt and frowned. 'She's still mad, great' Naruto poked Jinou, "Look what I found dude. This website of old legends say that there is an old mystic legend that states a power of three legend, using there pendants to gain power." "Let's see this legend dude!" said Jinou excitedly, "I tried but every time I click this link the school is blocking the site, maybe one of us can look at it from home?" said Naruto a little disappointedly. Jinou nodded and looked at the clock, "Let's get to the tower before the bell rings okay."

The bell rang and Sakura came running over to Naruto and Jinou leaning against the tower's side; less than a minute later Miyako came walking along side Itachi. 'What the hell is he doing here?!' Though Jinou frantically but he kept a straight face as they came up. "Hiiii guys!" said Miyako with a big smile and kissed Jinou on the cheek which he returned and wrapped an arm around her. "Hey Miyako and Itachi." Said the pink haired and blond, the dark haired nodded him his direction which Itachi returned with a calm smile. The five focused there chakra to the bottom of their feet and ran up the side of the wall, the red-eyed teen was the one leading, much to Jinou's disdain, seeing an opportunity for him to attack them. But nothing happen on the way up to the tower, as they jumped onto the roof the sun was close to setting.

"What class did ya'll skip?" asked Jinou as they sat down facing the setting sun. "Language arts" said Itachi and Miyako together "Math and I think Sakura had art." Sakura nodded, "I wasn't in an artsy mood today." They chuckled and Jinou held Miyako close to him and smiled watching the sun. "How about you Jinou?" asked Itachi a little coolly, "Oh well I had history next." Replied the multi-colored eyed boy. "And did you ever learn why your necklace shines like that?" Naruto and Jinou looked at each other, "Well we found something about some legend but the site with the legend was block on the school computer," said the blond "but I was gonna look it up at home and then text you guys. It said something about power of three." Itachi nodded and looked over at the three with the strange pendants. "So it is true then." They all looked over at him; his eyes were shinning bright red from the sun. "What do you mean Itachi-Chan?" asked Miyako a little stunned at his words. "I mean that it's true..." he slowly got up and Jinou tensed as he did. "The power of three is here and the connection should be broken and killed so then there won't be any bad occurrences from the misuse of power." He flicked his wrist and the Kuni knife came out it glinted from the sun and Jinou pulled Miyako away from him quickly and got ready to fight. "Itachi what the hell are you doing?!" yelled Miyako trying to get to him but Jinou held her back. "I knew it; the Akatsuki was always bad news." Said Jinou in a cursing manner. Itachi lunged at Jinou, but he blocked it and pushed Itachi back and the red-eyed teen snarled and slashed, but Jinou pulled out his own knife and blocked his attacks, back and forth with their slashes and stabs. Miyako kept yelling stop and naturally tried to intervene but couldn't get close enough. Itachi did an upward slash and one clash of their knifes echoed, the raven haired teen kicked the dark haired boy in the stomach he then stumbled backwards to the edge of the roof. Miyako yelled and got between the rivals and Naruto grabbed Jinou's arm as he tilled backwards still stunned. Miyako grabbed his upper arm but as soon as they touched him a bright light of red and light blue appeared form their arms and shot into Jinou's chest. He flew as the force pushed him over the edge of the roof. Miyako screamed Jinou's name as he plummeted to the ground. 'I can hear screams, but this pain in my chest. It's just so much, wait what's that? Something is chasing after me, why can't I think straight?Was the last thought as Jinou passed out, his body rushing down 5 stories to meet the ground.


	11. Chapter 11

A bright sun and a blue moon were colliding with each other in a black sky. The earth was breaking apart and shaking, lava spewing out. All the earth was shaking and Jinou did his best to keep his balance but couldn't help but fall several times trying to get to the moon and sun. But as he got closer he realized in the middle of the two constellations there was a single person. The blue moon contained Miyako and the sun contained Naruto. Jinou realized that they were orbs of color and had a pattern on the orb to make it look like the moon and sun. "Stop it! Don't hurt each other!" yelled Jinou but neither listened; their power kept colliding with each other trying to reach the other person. Jinou couldn't stand it- the noise, the shaking- the fear of loss welled up inside him and they wouldn't respond to his cries. So he jumped in between them hoping that it would somehow stop them, he held up his arms and yelled in pain as the power from both sides started to attack him. The pain was so great but he stayed put not wanting either of them to get hurt. All he could hear was a soft, distant voice _He's not strong enough, weak weak weak_.

Jinou sat up with a shout, hyperventilating and finding himself - '_Floating on sand? What the hell? I should be dead right now._' He looked down to see Gaara manipulating sand that was spewing from a strange gourd that sat next to him. '_Gaara? Why the hell would he save me? We almost got in a fight!_' The boy landed with a gentle thud on the floor, an expression of pure confusion on his face. The gothic boy recalled the sand to his gourd, capped it and starting walking over to Jinou as Miyako, Tobi and Naruto stared in disbelief from the roof. Itachi watched him intently, as if he were expecting some sort of result. Gaara extended a hand towards Jinou, who gratefully took it. "Don't think I'm ungrateful- I really appreciate you saving my ass- but why did you save me?" Gaara looked Jinou straight in the eye. "Because although I really detest you still, that... That girl did something kind for me with no reason." He glanced up at her as the people on the roof carefully made their way down, Tobi carrying Miyako on his back. "There's something special about that girl that's been making me consider a few things, so I figured the least I could do was return the favor." Jinou nodded, slowly grinning. "Well thank you. I honestly do appreciate it."

The group finally reached them, Miyako practically tackling Jinou with a hug. "Oh my God you're okay... I thought I was going to..." She stopped, then turned and faced Gaara. She said nothing, but the others could clearly see they were having a silent conversation. Suddenly she hugged him, much to his shock and dismay. He pushed her away instinctively, causing her to lose her balance. Jinou caught her, Naruto clearly being too afraid to touch her again after what happened on the roof. The redhead noticed the girl was trembling and looked genuinely concerned. "What the hell happened to you guys?" The three pendant-wearers glanced at each other uncertainly. "We don't exactly know, to be honest." Naruto answered slowly. "In fact, we were going to go to the library to find out. Our necklaces... For some reason they glow around each other. Individually, my necklace makes Jinou's really hot, while Miyako's makes it icy cold. When Itachi pushed Jinou off Miyako and I hit each other on accident and..." He trailed off, trying to find words to explain the situation. "I saw it. It was quite a sight." Gaara replied, his brow furrowed.

Itachi 'hmph'ed as if he reached whatever conclusion he was looking for. "You pass." They all turned on him, questioning and slightly angry. "What do you mean, Itachi?" Miyako growled, already seething. Itachi was unphased by the young girl's anger. "Jinou passed. I pushed him off to see if he really has the power to act as a bridge between you and Naruto's powers." He turned away, getting ready to leave. "You may want to look in the library- there's a prophecy hidden somewhere regarding you three." He walked away, leaving the six of them to stare at him in amazement. Sakura glared at him angrily. "WELL YOU COULD'VE DONE IT SAFER!" She yelled at the nearly-disappeared gang member, who didn't hear her. That's when she officially noticed the silent, gothic redhead staring at her in amusement. "What are you staring at?!" He looked a bit surprised at her accusation. "U-um, nothing. Nothing at all. Just admiring your lack of concern that classes are still in session." She paled slightly, realizing there were teachers glaring out the windows. She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, blushing faintly. "So, about that library trip?" Sakura declared suddenly, latching onto Naruto's arm and marching towards the library.  
The rest of them laughed (minus Gaara, who simply smirked and stood watching) and started to follow the pinkette. Miyako stopped for a moment and turned to Gaara. "You coming?" The redhead raised an eyebrow (well, what WOULD be an eyebrow if he had any) and quietly asked, "Why would I be?" Miyako in turned raised an eyebrow of her own. "Because I know you're intrigued. Besides, I think you're attention has been caught by a pretty pink rose." His eyes widened and his cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just met that girl- and just because I saved your man from dying doesn't make us friends." She rolled her eyes. "No, but it will be the start. C'mon Emo, let's go." Jinou shook his head as he put an arm around Miyako's shoulders and lead her towards their destination. "You're going to get killed with that mouth of yours Miyako." She protested as they walked, leaving Gaara to stand there and think. After a few seconds, he shrugged and started to follow the group of friends.  
Little did they know, in the bushes not far from them a pair of onyx eyes watched them like a hawk. "So, you three are part of the prophecy, hmm? We'll have to see about that." Sasuke smirked and slowly followed them from a safe distance. "I will get you guys, Miyako, Itachi and Jinou. And when I do, there will be hell to pay."

Authors Note!  
Sorry about the short chapter, but the next one has all sorts of fun discoveries and details and even a bit of romance floating about, so I had to keep it as its own separate chapter. I hope you are enjoying the story thus far- constructive criticism is always welcomed.


	12. Chapter 12

Naruto typed in "Sun, Moon, and Yin yang pendants" into the search bar. "That's not gonna get us the legend. Look we're not jewelry shopping." Jinou said exasperated. Sakura flipped though a book while Gaara watched over her shoulder, glancing though a book of his own. She had a blush that she usually only had around Sasuke. Miyako giggled a bit, causing Tobi to give her a questioning look. "What is it Miyako-chan?" he asked. "Oh it's nothing. Just something I noticed." She answered back with another giggle. "No you're not gonna find it that way Naruto. Here let me try." Jinou pushed him out of the way and started to type. "I told you looking up pendents are just gonna give us shopping shit." Naruto pushed him out of the chair and tackled him onto the ground. "Hey I'm trying what seems easiest!" he yelled. "You mean obvious, dumbass." Jabbed Jinou. They soon started to scuffle, their pendants glowing brighter than ever but everyone was getting used to it by now. Miyako sighed and started to search the web using legend sites. Jinou and Naruto rolled around and knocked over a couple of chairs before Gaara sent his sand to split them apart. "Enough guys." Said Gaara in a firm voice. Jinou and Naruto sighed and shook hands, silently calling a truce.

"I got it guys!" exclaimed Miyako, "I found this site about crazy legends; most are about myths of olden times but this one seems very popular to collectors. Listen to this 'Three charms; Sun, Moon, and their balance will be united on the eve of a great battle. The golden king shall bring forth heart, passion and fire- The silvery queen will bring cold, darkness and ice. Alone they wreak havoc, but as one needs the other the mediator will unite them to an almost unstoppable power. For only in the direst needs, one will turn to the other." The teens were silent, contemplating what they just heard. "So if this is true," Sakura started, "then there's going to be a battle soon. But between whom? And why? What's so big that it needs a nearly unstoppable power to end it?" More silence. "Tobi thinks it may be a fight between the Akatsuki and Sasuke's gang." Miyako turned in surprise to face her older brother, who had a contemplative expression. "What do you mean, Tobi?" The usually childish boy actually looked his age for once as he began to explain.

"Long before Itachi-san joined the gang, he and his brother had some serious family issues. Itachi-san never said what, but made it clear that he and Sasuke absolutely hated each other and refused to acknowledge the other's existence. According to Itachi-san, tensions got even worse after he joined the Akatsuki, resulting in Sasuke creating his _own_ gang called The Revenge or something. Tobi doesn't remember exactly, but ever since then there have been minor scuffles between the two gangs, including your incident nee-chan." Miyako looked grave at this news, but despite people's inquisitive glances she didn't explain. "That will be a problem then. I've seen some of the members fight. They have illusionists, dark magic, and unnatural aggression in their styles- aggression that I've only seen in bloodthirsty fighters. Put them against us, and all hell will break loose."

Gaara posed a question that caught her off-guard. "Then the most important thing to know is how these pendant things work? We need more information on them, so that you three can actually prepare for whatever fight may lie ahead. Someone should also inform the principal about this threat. If it's going to be as bad as we're imagining, innocent people will get hurt." Sakura glanced at him, her eyebrow arched. "You actually care about people?" He stared back expressionless. "No, but I'm sure other people do. Besides, we don't need to become murderers. Jail is such an unpleasant place when you're not used to it, and a pretty girl like you doesn't belong there." She flushed and hid behind Naruto, causing Miyako and Jinou to burst into giggles.

Naruto rolled his eyes and took charge. "Alright, let's stop wasting time and get to work. Miyako and Tobi, go inform principal Tsunade about what we've discovered. Sakura, Gaara, scour the library for any books on this. Jinou, you and I are going to ask the librarian what sites to look at. Let's go!" The team of teenagers split up and got to work. Unbeknown to them, Sasuke was lingering in a book aisle two rows away from the computers, eavesdropping. '_So they have nearly unstoppable powers? Hah! I'm sure the way to stop it will be unearthed if I just stick around long enough, and then my plan to kill them all will continue flawlessly.'_ He smirked at the thought, and took care not to be discovered.

-with Miyako and Tobi-

"Nee-chan, do you think Tsunade-sama will believe us?" Miyako frowned. "I don't know Tobi. I hope so, for the sake of everyone else." There was a brief silence, then: "Nee-chan, what do you think will happen?" A quiet sigh. "I have no idea Tobi." As silence ensued Miyako thought about everything she had learned. '_So, Jinou, Naruto and I are supposed to be able to join forces to fight some sort of battle. But how? I know I'm no where near powerful enough- I'm just learning how to use dark magic! And fighting wise I'm the weakest of the Akatsuki. I have no idea how strong the others are, but will it be enough? I don't think I could handle more people I care about dying... What will happen to us all?'_Tobi's knock on principal Tsunade's door caused her to jump. "Come in!" A loud, authoritive voice commanded. The siblings entered, causing the woman to arch an eyebrow in skepticism. "What could possibly bring two Akatsuki members to my office without some sort of misdemeanor?" Tobi spoke quickly, obviously flustered. "Tobi is a good boy! Tobi and Miyako-chan came here to give Tsunade-sama the most unpleasant news." Tsunade's brow furrowed as she scowled. "Are you threatening me?" Tobi started to speak but Miyako cut in. "No! No we aren't Tsunade-sama. Please forgive Tobi, he's extremely upset, as is I." The woman relaxed slightly. "Proceed then. What's this 'unpleasant news'?"

Miyako took a deep breath. "We have reason to believe a very bad fight is going to take place in the near future between the Akatsuki and Sasuke's gang." She proceeded to go in depth about what they learned in the library, explaining everything as precisely as possible. Tsunade listened wordlessly, looking more troubled as the girl in front of her spoke. When Miyako finished, the principal thought for a moment. "So you believe the prophecy is finally coming true? Let me see one of these pendants you spoke of." Miyako hesitated, but unhooked the silver moon pendant from her neck. Tsunade looked briefly surprised, but took the necklace regardless. Carefully pushing chakra through it, she stared at it intensely. A small light came from the moon, revealing strange symbols on the back. Tsunade stopped the flow of chakra and stared at the little pendant in awe. "It's finally happening, then." At the confused expression Miyako had and the uncertain body language Tobi gave off, she explained.

"When I was your age, my friends and I went to a carnival. There was a fortune teller there, so for fun we decided to get our fortunes told. When the gypsy looked into the crystal ball, she actually looked troubled. She told me that I would hold the position of a principal during one of the most powerful, dangerous battles known to mankind, and the way to know it was true was to test a pendant for the characters you saw. She foresaw death and great damage to be done. I never had my fortune told again, but something told me it would happen."

The room was silent for a bit. "Wow. Death? That can't be good..." Miyako trailed off, nervous. Tsunade noticed the girl's fear and came to her decision. "When you find out when this will happen, tell me. I will have the school evacuated as quickly as possible. Now go." They left quickly and quietly, leaving the principal to brood over the information.

-with Gaara and Sakura-

Sakura escaped into the romance aisle, desperate to get away from the gothic boy who made her heart start pounding for seemingly no good reason. '_What on earth is going on? I like Sasuke... Or at least, I did. Knowing what I do about him I'm not so sure I do. But I can't like Gaara! I just met him, and he's dark... Scary... But somehow attractive. And there's something mysterious about him that intrigues the inquisitive scholar in me. Gah! What am I thinking?! I need to start looking for information before-'_ "I didn't know myths and legends were found in romance aisles." '_Crap!'_The rosette turned sheepishly to the red head. "They aren't. I just... Got distracted a little. Nothing like a good book..? Hehe..." Gaara smirked at her awkwardness. "Indeed. Now shall we keep looking? The Akatsuki siblings have been gone about half an hour and are bound to be back soon, and we have two more sections to look in." He inwardly laughed at the girl's frantic attempts at being calm and made his way to the history section. '_There's bound to be something here. Silly Sakura, getting flustered so easily. But she is rather pretty, and unusually smart... Wait, why am I thinking this? I'm going to focus on the task at hand.'_ But try as he might, the pink haired girl kept flittering in and out of his mind like a butterfly. He scowled as he looked relentlessly for anything regarding the legend, not knowing his pale cheeks were dusted with red until Jinou came around the corner.

"Hey Gaara, Naruto and I found some information on- why are you blushing?" The red head's eyes widened slightly as he fought down the blush, much to Jinou's amusement. "I'm not, It's just warm in here. Anyways you found something?" Jinou smirked but continued. "Yeah, we found out what happens and how. Come check it out." The goth nodded and was about to happily abandoned his search when a strange book caught his eye. He picked it up and investigated it. "_The Dark Side of Legends and Other Lore_. Sound's important; I'll bring it with me". He proceeded to catch up to Jinou and meet up with Sakura and Naruto. Miyako and Tobi entered the library a moment later, and Sasuke crept a little closer in order to hear.

Naruto began to read. "The Three Charm Legend, as many people call it, is a peculiar legend of unknown origin. It is said by the descendants of the prophet that the three people mentioned in this strange legend will meet in adolescence not previously knowing each other. The 'unstoppable power' is triggered through the complete despair and desperation each individual feels: anger, heartbreak and a desire for justice will strengthen the chances of this transformation. The individuals will become of one body filled with power beyond imagine; however, there is said to be a weakness that exists, which is described in an ancient and nearly lost book _The Dark Side of Legends and Other Lore_." Gaara lifted up the book in question and flipped through it. "The Three Charm Legend may entice many power-hungry individuals to find the holders of these pendants in order to obtain their power. However, there are two dangerous weaknesses that, if known to an enemy, can cause the harm and even death of the individuals. The first is that, in the event of unholy intentions, a devout Christian or Catholic may pray for divine intervention. Depending on the moral standing of the three charm-wielders, they may have their powers temporarily taken away or they will be killed, thus ending the attack. Second, a well-aimed shot may strike the joined pendants and at best gravely injure the individuals and at worst kill them instantly. Brute force alone is unlikely to be successful."

The teenagers were silent after Gaara's quiet voice stopped reading, all in shock at the grave news. Sasuke grinned evilly, and silently snuck out of the library.


	13. Chapter 13

Miyako gazed upon the night sky, watching in anticipation. The neighborhood was silent and her brother sleeping, leaving her to wait for the first signs of the lunar eclipse. '_Why do lunar eclipses have to be so intriguing, yet so draining to me? Maybe being the bearer of this pendant makes it where I'm weakened when the earth covers the moon.' _She sighed and rested her head on her crossed arms, leaning against the window sill. A thought occurred. '_Tobi should be fine if I leave- as long as there's a note he can take care of himself in the morning. I'm gonna visit Jinou and the boys._' She got up, slipped into a pair of comfortable pants, a t-shirt and some shoes. She tore a piece of paper from her notepad and grabbed a pen.

"Tobi,

I went out for the night, but I'll be back in the morning. There's some leftovers in the fridge you can eat. I love you!  
- Miyako"

Miyako put the note by his bed before quietly leaving and locking the door. She froze for a moment, thinking she heard something. Silence. Her brow furrowed she quickly left and headed for the school, not noticing the shadows moving along the side of her house. '_It was probably just the wind... And the fact that I've never left Tobi alone at night before. I'm just imagining things. I should hurry up before the eclipse gets too far along._' She silently navigated the streets and snuck past school security. She reached the set of windows leading to Jinou's room, and slowly climbed up to his window. '_Sigh this seems so creeper status, but I don't want to be alone feeling like a bag of rocks is weighing me down._' The girl slipped the window open with a bit of trouble and quietly landed inside.

Jinou woke instantly, hearing the light sound of the window opening and the slight thud of footsteps and instinctively drew Soul Biter, prepared to shoot the intruder. "Well hello to you, babe." Jinou focused on who was in the room and saw Miyako smirking in the moonlight. He sighed in relief and lowered his weapon. "What the hell are you trying to do, Miyako, scare the hell outta me?!" She laughed quietly before sitting on the edge of his bed. "No, but nice guess. I wanted company- there's a lunar eclipse and they make me weak." Jinou sat up and pulled her to his side. "It must be because you're the-" "Moon person, I figured that, too. Where are Shika and Kiba?" Jinou rolled his eyes. "Naruto dragged them out for ramen since we don't have morning classes. He was super amped up- more so than usual. Must be a sun thing."

They chuckled and he noticed the moon was a third covered. He glanced at the girl's face and already saw the fatigue in her eyes that wasn't there when she originally got here. Gently caressing her cheek he asked, "It's already getting to you, isn't it?" She nodded before slowly sinking into a laying position, looking completely vulnerable. Another quick glance showed nearly half a moon left. Jinou scooted over and pulled her into his arms, making sure she was comfortable.

Meanwhile at the house, the shadows quietly broke a back window and slipped inside. "Okay guys, the girl's gone but her brother is still here. That'll damage her enough. Remember, be silent- he's part of the Akatsuki and despite being mentally stupid, he's one of their best fighters. Go!" Sasuke whispered to part of his gang. They slipped upstairs and snuck quietly over Tobi's sleeping figure...

As the moon turned blood red Miyako's eyes shot open and she weakly tried to get up. "What's wrong?" Her alarmed boyfriend asked, looking at her with concern as she collapsed back onto the mattress. "Something feels wrong. Terribly wrong. I have to get back home, to check on Tobi." The boy sighed. "You can't go anywhere right now. Besides, you said Tobi's powerful, despite being so dependant on you for everything else. We'll go check on him first thing in the morning, okay?" Jinou hummed, helping the distraught girl relax and eventually fall asleep.

The gang slipped out of the house, exultant of their accomplishment and certain they left no evidence. Sasuke smirked up at the bloody moon. '_Take that, Miyako. Let's see how strong you are now_.'

Sunlight beamed through the window, waking up the couple from a good night's rest. Jinou smiled at the raven-haired girl and kissed her lips softly, blushing faintly as she kissed back sleepily. "Good morning beautiful." She laughed. "Good morning handsome." Her smile quickly vanished. "I want to go home. Tobi..." Jinou sighed, but nodded. "Let's go check on him." They sat up and noticed a small note on the desk.

"Hey lovebirds,

Shika and I stayed at Naruto's so as not to... Disturb you two. Hope you were safe.

-Kiba"

Miyako looked horrified. "I'm going to kill him the next time I see him." Jinou simply burst into laughter at his girlfriend's reaction to Kiba's humor. "Don't be so serious. C'mon, let's get you home." She stretched then followed him out the window, avoiding the sight of anyone who may notice and question them. They quickly left the school grounds, Miyako getting increasingly uneasy. '_Something's wrong. I don't know what it is but there's something absolutely, horribly wrong. If Tobi's hurt... I'll never forgive myself._' After what seemed like ages the couple finally reached the house.

She trembled as she unlocked the door. "Jinou, it's too quiet. He's normally up and around by now." He hugged her tight. "What could possibly go wrong? Tobi isn't incapable of protecting himself." The door opened and Miyako quickly went into the living room, then the guest room. Jinou waited, when he heard a small cry of alarm. Before he could ask what was wrong the girl flew past him and ran up the stairs, tripping a few times before reaching the top. He heard a door slam open as he followed, and right as Jinou reached the top of the stairs his blood ran cold.

"No... No! No no no no no... No... It can't be... Tobi? Tobi wake up... Tobi!" Jinou entered the room and stopped dead. There, in the bed was Tobi, covered in bloodstained, knife-ripped sheets. His mask was off, showing the horrible scars hidden, and his eyes were shut as if he were still asleep. However, the pool of blood around him spoke otherwise. Miyako stared horrified, still registering what she was seeing. Jinou was frozen in his place, dumbstruck. '_Oh my God... This can't be real_.' Finally, everything seemed to hit the girl as her eyes watered up and she sank to her knees. "Oh my God... Oh my God oh my God oh my God... Tobi... No.. No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO!" Jinou knew that her sorrowful, pain and agony-filled scream would never leave his mind as he went to the hysterical girl and held her, not knowing what else to do.

"TOBI! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHYYYYYYY?"


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Hello readers! As of this point, ApApp and I have split ways and are writing our own endings and such. Thank you to those who've stuck around and waited on a new post- school and work have been nuts the past few months with the holidays. On to the story!

Ch. 16

Everything went by in a blur. The cops arrived on scene after the neighbors heard Miyako's scream; a note was found that left the police clueless but somehow made sense to Miyako; the body was removed and taken to a morgue; and the house was silent. Miyako sat perfectly still in the big chair without making a single sound other than the quiet _woosh_ of breathing, clutching the peculiar note. Jinou didn't know what to do- he tried to get her to eat, drink, move... But she was unphased. Finally he grudgingly left her and he took off towards school. As suspected, the Akatsuki were underneath the sakura blossom tree, in a semi-circle around Pein. They stared at him as he came up, out of breath. "What the hell brings you here, dumbass?" Hidan rudely asked, earning a harsh glare not only from Jinou but from the rest of the gang. "I came to tell you the news about Tobi and Miyako. Tobi... Tobi's..." Suddenly it became practically impossible to speak. Sasori rolled his eyes and finally snapped. "Tobi's what? C'mon we don't have all-" "Tobi's dead."

Silence. '_I'm really starting to hate the silence... I know this is rough but I can't take anymore silence._' Jinou thought as he let the information sink in. A single head jerk towards Miyako's home sent the entire gang running before Jinou could completely register what was happening. They all ran straight to her house and in the door without hesitation and straight to the living room where Miyako still sat. Her gaze flickered over to them as they entered- the first movement since she sat down. What happened next surprised Jinou- Itachi knelt down and embraced the girl, holding her close as she finally began to break down, and all the members took a spot near by her as a way to support their gravely injured friend. Jinou left the room, confused by a flurry of emotions. There was anger towards the gang- anger that they knew what to do and were able to help her when he couldn't; sadness that Miyako even had to go through this; pain at the sound of her wailing in the other room; and finally a sense of loneliness he hadn't felt since arriving at Elvanor High. He had no idea where to go, what to do, or even what to say- all he knew was that his girl was in the other room bawling in the arms of people he didn't even trust, yet she completely opened up to in a heartbeat. '_Maybe... Maybe there IS more to all of them than I originally thought. I've always seen them as horrible, violent monsters that couldn't feel and that I didn't want to have anything to do with but... Even I can't deny the truth when it's right in front of me._'

When he entered the room they had managed to calm the grieving girl, which made him somewhat happy despite the obvious fact that she was far from okay. He looked at them with a bit of reluctant awe. "How did you...? I've been trying to comfort her all morning." Everyone looked around at each other and shrugged. "After being with someone through thick and thin, it just becomes natural. There's no thought involved- just instinct. You'll learn it after awhile. You've only been with her a few months." Konan gently eased Miyako from the chair and Itachi and put an arm around her. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." The two girls made their way upstairs, leaving Jinou alone with the rest of the gang. The Akatsuki men were having a silent discussion amongst themselves- eyes flicking back and forth between each member and returning to Pein, Jinou knew they were up to something- it was only a matter of time before he found out, so he waited patiently for them to finish.

Finally Pein glanced over at the boy, a decision clearly made by the leader. "Jinou, we've been... Discussing... The unfortunate turn of events, and have agreed upon a proposition for you. We know who did this- the note Miyako was clutching was meant to be a very exclusive sign for her and our group. This is the work of Sasuke and his little posse of blood thirsty fiends. He's always been out to get revenge against us which, of course, involved Miyako through association. We knew they were planning to attack us, but of course no one could find out how or when." Pein's expression darkened. "This is a clear declaration of war. Itachi told us what he knew about you two and your friend, Naruto. We'll tell you our plan if you tell us what you learned in the library." Jinou nodded, then proceeded to relay everything he knew about the strange prophecy to them, making sure not to omit anything. When he finished the leader processed everything, then nodded.

"Perfect. Here's our plan. Normally, the Akatsuki does NOT train outsiders, allies or not. However, seeing as you three are vital to the outcome of this war, our members will take you and Naruto in as temporary members and train you in order to harness the powers you are capable of before it is too late. Miyako will be trained as well after the emotional crisis has been overcome. We do not wish to rush her, especially after such a grave loss... But this war rides on everyone being prepared. After we finish training you three, we will take anyone willing to fight along with us and hone their fighting skills. Do you accept our offer?" Jinou contemplated this. '_On one hand, I know I need help. My skills are basic at best, and I don't know how to get further without years of study. On the other hand... I have to join the people I've despised since coming to this damn school in order to learn...'_ He looked at the members before staring Pein straight into his peculiar eyes, his own red and blue intense. "I accept. When do we start?" The leader stared back. "Now. Sasori, you're first. Kisame, you'll train him when Sasori is done. Deidara, Hidan, you'll train Naruto. Itachi, you, Konan and I will tend to Miyako." The group acknowledged their leader without complaint and quickly began their work.

Tsunade was busy sighing at her never-ending amount of paperwork, wishing the assistant principal Shizune was in to help her when someone knocked on her door. "Enter!" She commanded, and the door opened to reveal Pein. Her eyes narrowed; the leader of the Akatsuki normally avoided her unless something very, very serious was happening. He bowed respectfully- a sign of even more bad news- before speaking. "Tsunade-sama, I bring grave news." The principal sighed- she definitely needed more sake when she got home. "Is it about the prophesy?" He nodded. "Sasuke's gang murdered Tobi last night in his sleep." Tsunade was shocked. "What?! What proof do you have of this?" "Nothing more than a note with the Uchiha clan symbol drawn in blood with a slash mark through it, and Itachi was with us last night. Sasuke is the only one who would have reason to kill Tobi unprovoked." Tsunade's brow furrowed. "How much time do we have? There's two months left of school until summer vacation." Pein stared at her emotionless. "You have until two weeks before school gets out." He turned to leave, then looked back briefly. "The war is upon us, Tsunade. You'd best be prepared." With that, he left, leaving Tsunade to her thoughts.


	15. Chapter 15

The time flew by quickly, not only for our three heroes in training, but for their friends and family as well. With finals approaching as well as this impending war, things were rather stressful for everyone. However, it provided the perfect opportunities for romance to bloom in adversity. Training, studying, and eating grouped everyone together almost all day, which allowed for each pair to bond a lot quicker than if they had been left to their own devices.

One such couple was Gaara and Sakura.

The anti social redhead glared intensely at the bowl of ramen in front of him as the others socialized and joked around with each other. His mind wandered between how annoyed he was with their loud volume and his unusual fascination with the pinkette. _'I have to admit, I admire her natural ability to take charge. It's unusual for girls to be so independent and decisive... But that's all it is. Why can't I stop thinking about her? I should be used to the bright pink hair to where it doesn't catch my attention... Maybe if I just sit here and don't look at her these weird thoughts and feelings will go awa-'_ "Are you alright, Gaara-san?" Sakura asked, her green eyes filled with genuine concern. The red head maintained a passive expression on his face. "I'm fine, Sakura-san." She arched an eyebrow. "Then why are you glaring at your ramen?" This caught him off-guard. "I was just thinking." She was about to pursue the topic when Shikamaru interfered. "Stop being so troublesome, woman, and leave him be." She huffed slightly before turning to the group, providing Gaara with some solace.

Ever since that day Miyako had broke up the fight between him and Jinou, things had started changing in Gaara. It took a long time- the idea that some people could actually be decent and not be like the monsters he grew up with was foreign and seemed impossible. But as he started seriously observing the way people interacted with each other (most notably the Akatsuki and Jinou's friends) he couldn't deny that there were people out there who cared about others. The biggest change for him was being around Sakura- she defied everything he knew females to be, and at first that really irritated him. Training with the gang to prepare for the upcoming war forced him to at the very least tolerate her; now he grudgingly admitted (to himself only) that he enjoyed the girl's company. '_I still don't like people. They're annoying and fake more often than not._' He scowled faintly before Kiba's elbow painfully met his ribs. "Dude, if you don't stop shooting daggers at your food and start eating it, we won't be able to keep the girls from pestering you much longer." Gaara gave a quick, appreciative nod before stoically eating his food.

Sakura noticed he was finally eating his food and relaxed. '_I don't know why seeing him eat makes me feel better. Maybe mom's just starting to rub off on me- I DO tend to mother my friends. Yeah, that's all it is..._' Something seemed unsatisfied with that answer, but she ignored it and continued to socialize with the rest of the group. She noticed Hinata shyly glancing at Kiba and raised an eyebrow in surprise. '_Huh, guess Hinata finally got over her crush on Naruto. That's good- that idiot is too oblivious for her._' The closer she looked, the more she noticed some unusual and previously undetected pairings starting to form. Tenten was closer to Neji than usual and the player wasn't doing his usual cold shoulder that he gave most his hook-up girls; Ino and Shikamaru kept verbally sparring in a way that wasn't the usual spat. All of a sudden, Sakura felt alone despite being surrounded by all the people she cared about the most. Other than her, Lee and Gaara everyone had someone they were fond of. '_Not like it matters- I don't need a man to be strong! I can support myself just fine. But still... It WOULD be nice to have someone to cuddle with every so often._' She sighed, unknowingly catching the attention of the red head a few seats down from her. Before he could inquire about her sigh Ino suggested they all go walk around the village and find other things to do since everyone had finished eating.

The hours went by and before they knew it the sun was dipping low in the sky. Remembering about unfinished homework Sakura groaned. "Hey guys, I have to get going. I still have some homework I need to finish up before class tomorrow." Everyone said their goodbyes and some started heading home themselves; as Sakura turned to start walking she heard a quiet voice ask, "Would you like someone to walk home with you?" She turned and, to her surprise, saw Gaara standing behind her with an intense gaze. Flushing a little she gathered her wits enough to respond. "Sure, I'd enjoy the company. Thanks!" The redhead nodded and began walking next to her. At first there was a slightly awkward silence- neither of them knew what to say- but Sakura managed to spark a conversation regarding the astronomy lesson they learned in science earlier that week, and things just flowed from there. Sakura was secretly disappointed when they arrived at her house, but being the hard working student she was she couldn't dally much longer. "Well, thank you again for walking me home. It was really nice having someone to talk to." Gaara nodded. "You're welcome." He replied gruffly. Sakura hesitated, then quickly hugged him before dashing to the door. "Goodnight, Gaara!" The boy stood there, shocked by the unexpected action. '_That was... Nice. No one's hugged me since I was a little boy._' He stared at the door and, with the slightest of half smiles, thought '_Goodnight, Sakura._'

AN:  
So this is a bit short, but the Naruto characters seriously needed some loving. This story's already getting close to being done and they haven't gotten nearly as much love as they need to- plus pairings are so much fun but if they just pop out of nowhere that doesn't make sense! For those of you following this, sorry I've been taking so long- I've had school and major writer's block for awhile. Hopefully I can get this show on the road again and finally give this story a proper ending. Reviews are always accepted- constructive criticism is lovely. Thank you for reading thus far!


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